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France supports extending smoking bans to more outdoor areas

Smoking could soon be banned at transport stops, near schools, and on restaurant terraces

Montélimar nougat wins special protection: what does this mean?

The European Commission confirmed the status for the famous sweet treat this week

Newly registered motorcycles to be subject to stricter noise rules in France

The changes are due to start in January 2025

news

UK-EU plan for easy work and study for under-30s: what is proposed?

Labour government reported to be open to a fresh look at the proposals as part of 'reset' of EU relationship

French inheritance and foreign law wills: calls for change grow

2021 rules forcing notaires to offer compensation to children who ‘miss out’ on their French-law reserved portions are being examined by the European Commission

Why police custody rules must change in France

Critics say the changes will ‘damage investigations’ but proponents say it will make ‘statements taken from people in custody more solid’

New cars in France must have these features from July

Obligatory new tools will include automatic braking and lane departure warnings. Car costs are expected to rise by at least €500 per vehicle as a result

EU ruling on French inheritance law drags due to volume of complaints

Many British and American people in France face uncertainty over their wills due to 2021 French law

French inheritance law complaints: EU misses decision deadline

Complaints against France’s forced heirship rule on foreign wills remain unanswered one year on

Tributes to Jacques Delors after he dies aged 98

The former President of the European Commission made a lasting impact

EU decision on France’s inheritance law pushed back to February

Multiple complaints have been made to the European Commission against French forced heirship rules on foreigners

EU plans to recruit more external workers to fill skill shortages

It coincides with a report which showed that France is experiencing major skills shortages across a range of key sectors

EU decision awaited soon on French forced heirship inheritance law

The Commission has received multiple complaints from foreign residents in France left confused by a change in the rules

Complaints grow over France’s inheritance law on forced heirship

European Commission notes wide public interest as it studies legality of 2021 forced heirship rules

Phones, cameras, tablets: A universal charger system voted in by EU

It will require devices – including Apple products – to have USB-C ports and will save waste amounting in weight to that of the Eiffel Tower every year, says one campaign group

EU launches new plan to take on GAFAM tech giants

If agreed by member states, the plan will increase the EU's ability to impose fines on tech giants Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft

Covid-19 vaccine ‘should be mandatory for all’ in France

When a Covid-19 vaccine arrives in France and Europe, people in certain groups will likely receive it first, but a senior MEP has called for it to be mandatory for all. We explain

EU in €220m plan to transfer Covid patients between states

The plan is to ease pressure on overloaded hospitals, alongside other coordinated Covid efforts on inter-EU travel and future vaccines

France Covid-19 latest: New cases at record 30,000 threshold

The level of positivity is also up, and pressure is rising in hospitals as intensive care admissions increase

France welcomes EU’s new coordinated Covid risk map

The map will be colour-coded by risk level from green to red, and will be updated by the EU each week

One and two centime coins could soon disappear in France

One and two centime pieces could disappear in France - and the rest of the Eurozone - as the European Commission (EC) launches an online poll on the issue of “rounding up”.

Macron bans ‘illegal’ hunting of thrush and blackbirds

The President took the decision to ban birdlime (or "glue") hunting after meeting with hunting representatives and politicians. The ban is in place for one year.

EU consumer rights violated by airlines during Covid-19

The European Consumer Organisation has accused major airlines - including Air France, EasyJet and Ryanair - of violating passengers’ rights over reimbursements for cancelled flights during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Macron: €750 billion EU Covid kickstart plan is ‘historic’

French President Emmanuel Macron has called the EU’s new €750 billion plan to kickstart the economy after the Covid-19 crisis “the most important moment for Europe since the creation of the euro”.

France considers EU plan to cut copper coins

Plans to phase out one and two cent coins across the eurozone are included in the European Commission's new work programme

France approves controversial Canada trade deal

The French government has approved a controversial trade deal with Canada this week, amid intense debate and critics who say that the plan will allow unfair competition and cause ecological concerns.

Petition on European food labels seeks 1m signatures

A petition to make the “Nutri-Score” food labelling system mandatory across Europe is aiming to reach one million signatures after being launched by European national consumer associations this week.

Costs to call Europe drop today in new EU law

All phone calls within European countries are set to drop in price and be capped from today (Wednesday May 15), as a law limiting the cost has entered into force.

EU needs to market itself better

Nick Inman argues that a union of 28 countries, speaking 24 languages, has a future – if it can overcome the national jealousies that fuelled Brexit

Less than third of French see Europe as ‘hopeful’

Less than one third of French people see Europe as something “hopeful”, with almost the same percentage calling it a “source of anxiety”, according to a poll ahead of this year’s European elections.

Bird welfare group files complaint against France

Bird welfare group La Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux is calling on France to remember its obligations towards birds, 40 years after a European Commission (EC) directive on the issue was first imposed.

Should we keep changing clocks twice a year?

The European Commission has proposed ending the custom of changing clocks twice a year, as has happened in every European country since 1998.

The EU must prioritise democracy

In the first of a series of articles Nick Inman looks at the future of the EU and reforms it should make. Here he stresses the need to prioritise democracy and proposes a draft charter

Europe votes to end daylight savings clock changes

The European Parliament has approved plans to end seasonal daylight savings hour changes across the EU by 2021.

Macron calls for ‘European renaissance’ in open letter

President Emmanuel Macron has written an open letter entitled “A European renaissance”, in which he has called for a “more united Europe” over the issues of protection, freedom, and progress.

France must stop LBD use during protests, Europe says

France should review and stop its use of “ lanceurs de balles de défense (LBD)” rubber bullet guns as soon as possible, the Council of Europe human rights commissioner has said.

Daylight clock change this weekend could be last ever

This weekend - which saw the clocks “go back” to “winter time” today (Sunday October 28) - could be the last time the seasonal clock change takes place in France, as support grows in Europe against it.

EU MEPs vote against plastic is ‘huge step forward’

The European Parliament has successfully voted in a directive that will ban the use of single-use plastic by 2021, in a move that has been dubbed “an absolutely enormous step forward”.

Europe’s petrol pump labels to change in new EU rules

Fuel labelling in petrol stations across Europe is to change this month (October 2018) in line with European Union rules to standardise pumps in the EU zone.

Europeans in favour of dropping daylight clock change

Over 80% of Europeans are in favour of abandoning daylight saving changes and keeping the clocks in “summer time” all year round, a new poll has found.

Have your say on daylight-saving time changes

European Commission consultation on future of twice-yearly time change runs until August 16

Netflix and Now TV go open in EU but not BBC

EU regulation removes restriction

France warned by European Commission on noise levels

France has been warned by the European Commission to reduce its national noise levels on pain of further warnings and even sanctions.

MPs call for ban on glyphosate

A total 54 of President Macron's La République En Marche! party's 310 MPs sign open letter calling for controversial herbicide's licence not to be renewed

France wants to keep tighter Schengen border controls

France has joined other European countries to demand that the European Commission allow increased border controls to remain within the Schengen Agreement Area in the EU.

Official list of ‘endocrine disruptors’ published

The French government has published an official list of pesticide products currently in circulation suspected of containing ‘endocrine chemical disruptors’.

France U-turns controversial ‘endocrine chemical’ vote

France has made a U-turn on its support of proposed European Commission regulations of the definition of chemicals known as ‘endocrine disruptors’ ( perturbateurs endocriniens (PEs) ).

Airport funding lift

THE European Commission has relaxed rules governing the financing of regional airports, meaning more than 420 small runways across the Eurozone could be granted public funds more readily.