September is a busy month in France, with people back to work and school after the summer holidays.
In the last month, many changes either took place, or have been announced and will soon come into effect.
We highlight some of the most important for residents, second-home owners, and travellers to France, below.
1. Peak-hour electricity
Peak hours for electricity are under review by Enedis, the electrical grid manager, on instructions from the energy regulator.
This could see heures creuses off-peak hours (usually during the night) moved to summer afternoons to reflect the increase in solar power generation.
2: EES border system
After several delays, November 10 has been given as the official target date for the launch of the EU’s new border security Entry-Exit System (EES).
Read more: New EU border control checks to launch November 10 - official
However, countries including France are reportedly concerned that they will not be ready on time, and are seeking a delay on the launch of the system.
Read more: France reported to be asking for new border system delay
3: ETA travel fee
The UK has set dates for the rollout of its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system: January 8 for non-EU nationals and April 2 for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals.
The ETA is a £10 (€12) digital authorisation for entering the UK. Lasting two years, it will be needed by non-UK/Irish nationals entering without a visa, much like an Esta in the US, or the EU’s forthcoming Etias system.
Read more: UK’s new ETA travel fee permit: rules for French and other non-British visitors
4: Scam call crackdown
A system to block telephone numbers impersonating those of banks and public authorities is set to be implemented on October 1.
In total, this type of scam accounted for €379million – almost a third (32%) – of the €1.2billion in payment fraud last year.
Under the new system when calling from a landline, numbers will be given an authenticity certificate.
If this is deemed invalid or non-compliant, the call will be stopped.
Read more: France to crack down on false landline numbers in bid to halt scammers
5: Paris périphérique speed limit
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo is keen to reduce the speed limit on the Périphérique ring road around the city to 50km/h from 70km/h from October 1 to reduce noise for residents.
She is also calling on President Emmanuel Macron to respect promises to reserve the road’s designated Olympic lanes for car-sharing.
Reportedly, neither the government nor Paris police are supportive of the speed limit change.
The Île-de-France region also asked Ms Hidalgo to give up the idea, saying anti-noise surfacing would be more effective.
Read more: Paris ring road: region to oppose October speed cut to 50 km/h
6: Sick pay rules
Rules on sick pay are to change to reduce expenditure by better detecting false claims.
State healthcare Assurance Maladie has urged politicians to make the system “more sustainable and fairer,” while still getting help to people who need it most.
Measures include contacting those on long-term sick leave to check if it is still necessary and seeing whether doctors with high prescription levels can “better control expenditure”.
The number of people taking arrêt maladie continues to rise, with expenditure expected to reach €17 billion by the end of the year.
Read more: French authorities announce major reform to workers’ sick pay rules
7: Paris metro tickets
A single-use ticket for any metro, RER and Transilien service in Paris will cost €2.50 from January 1, regardless of the destination.
A single metro ticket is currently €2.15, but fares on RER and Transilien trains will be cheaper for many as they can currently reach up to €5.
Single tickets for a bus or tram will reduce to €2 if purchased in advance (€2.50 on board).
The carnet of 10 tickets will be discontinued from this date, and new fixed fees for journeys to Paris’ two main airports will come into effect.
Read more: Single €2.50 ticket price to be introduced across Paris region for metros and trains
8: Checks at Franco-German border
Germany has introduced border checks for those entering from France as part of plans to tackle illegal and irregular immigration into the country.
The checks will last for six months and follow standard procedure.
An EU-nationality passport will gain you entry, as will a non-EU passport with a residency card or visa issued by an EU country, or a non-EU passport that has been stamped when entering the EU within the limits of the 90/180 days rule.
Read more: New France-Germany border checks begin
9: BMW and Mini recall
A recall of 64,000 BMW-made vehicles in France and 1.5 million worldwide is under way due to potentially faulty brakes.
The affected BMW and Mini cars were sold between June 2022 and August 9 this year.
Owners should contact dealerships for more information.
Read more: BMW recalls around 64,000 vehicles in France over possible brake fault
10: Mont Blanc Tunnel closure
The Mont Blanc tunnel will be closed in both directions until December 16 for renovation.
Alternative routes include the Fréjus tunnel or the Grand Saint-Bernard pass through Switzerland.
Read more: Mont Blanc tunnel to close for three months
The RN134, running through the Pyrénées from Pau, France, and over the Spanish border is also set to be closed for several months after storm damage.
Read more: Pyrénées road connecting France and Spain will be closed for months
11: Waze driving app update
An update for iPhone users for the driving app Waze has arrived and aims to fix bugs of the previous version.
For French drivers, the app would not always show accurate arrival times, journey lengths, or traffic predictions.
Read more: Driving app Waze update to make journey times in France more accurate
12: Illegal streaming crackdown
Watchdog Arcom is cracking down on illegal streaming sites showing Ligue 1 football and other sports.
It has banned over 174 domains this season so far.
Read more: French authorities launch major crackdown on illegal streaming
13: Time limit to take seat on TGVs
Passengers on TGV services (InOui and OuiGo) and Intercités trains now have 15 minutes to settle into their reserved seat or they risk losing it.
The rule has been added as an update to the terms and conditions for travelling with SNCF, stemming from European Regulations issued in 2021.
“Failure to claim a reserved seat within 15 minutes of the train’s departure... may result in the loss of the reserved seat and, more generally, of any seat,” state the new conditions. It does not apply on regional TER trains
Read more: French TGVs: 15 minutes to sit down or seat reallocated
14: Comparison site for roadworthiness test fees
A free comparison site for the price of contrôle technique (roadworthiness, CT) tests has been created by the government.
It has an interactive map and address search facility to find nearby garages and rates.
CTs typically cost around €80 and must be carried out every two years.
They are now mandatory for motorbikes but the website only works for cars so far.
You can find the website here.
Read more: Drivers can compare local contrôle technique fees at new official French website
