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Do ‘Crit’Air’ stickers go out of date for French low-emission zones?
All vehicles are given a pollution rating between 1 and 5, and the most polluting are not allowed in certain towns
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Can dual UK-Irish citizens spend six months in France and six months in the UK?
Be aware of tax residency and healthcare rights
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Is it easy to buy French train tickets online, even if abroad?
You can print out electronic tickets or store them on your smartphone
Is mairie responsible in France for removing hornets’ nest?
Maires are the first port of call for many issues - like the removal of hornets' nests - and are especially important in rural areas
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Reader question: I have a hornets’ nest in my garden. Is it part of the mairie’s responsibilities to remove it? What else do they do?
Maires are the first port of call for many issues and are especially important in rural areas, where people often visit for information about public and local life.
Generally speaking, if the mairie cannot provide the service you are looking for, it will certainly be able to point you in the right direction – and regarding hornets’ nests, it is the best place to start.
Asian hornets have caused concern and some mairies have special measures in place concerning them.
Some communes do pay for the removal of nests on private property, though this is not, strictly speaking, their responsibility unless the nest is a threat to public safety. If so, they may call on the pompiers or a private firm.
If the mairie cannot act, you should call a private firm. The mairie may be able to recommend one, otherwise search with terms such as désinsectiseurs or déstruction de nids de frelons.
A mairie’s responsibilities are wide-ranging, with responsibilities from managing the local budget and setting local property tax rates to making decisions about primary schools, including the organisation and payment of school meals. They organise local elections, run the municipal police, host weddings, and hand out parking fines.
Mairies are also where you go to register a birth or death.
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Maires are the first port of call for many issues and are especially important in rural areas
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