MAKING YOUR LIFE

IN FRANCE
LESS TAXING

FRENCH NEWS IN ENGLISH SINCE 2002

January/February 2023

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connexionfrance.com Issue 243 €5.80

What’s new for you Interview

The author-
in France in 2023 translator
relationship

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Laws, health, money, travel, property P6-8 P12

EU to investigate legality of French Inside

2021 French inheritance law shock at

drivers’
British woman has made an official complaint against recent changes on forced heirship
by Liv Rowland
A COMPLAINT lodged by a
British woman against the 2021
French law that seeks to impose
forced child heirship rules on
foreign residents is being reviewed
by the European Commission.
It could lead to a ruling that France
for example, can use it to set aside
French réserve rules that leave set
portions to children.
However, as of November 2021 a
new French law states that notaires
handling an estate where a national
law without forced heirship rules is
chosen must contact any ‘disadvan-
taged’ children and offer them a
demned it saying it does not
London
respect the EU regulation. of the law but had not yet taken
penalties
“
Now a reader from Tarn has a position.
made an official complaint, the The retired book editor wrote to
first known person to do so. the European Parliament but was P3
“We all felt protected by told to follow the complaints pro-
Brussels IV. Now, it’s like some-
one has pulled the carpet away
There are a cess at tinyurl.com/Report-a-breach.
She said: “There are a lot of us
from under you. We could all be lot of people around who have stepchildren in

Photo: Frederic Legrand - COMEO_shutterstock

has broken EU law, and thus in­-
fringe­ment procedures and fines. A
decision would take around a year.
Since 2015, an EU regulation,
known as Brussels IV, has given
residents of EU countries the right
to opt in a will for the law of their
nationality to apply to their estate
when they die.
English nationals or Americans,
right to seek compensation.
The children can, if they wish,
claim up to the amount set by French
réserve rules from any French assets,
ie. half of the estate for a single child,
two-thirds shared among two, and
three-quarters for three or more.
The law’s aim is said to be to pro-
tect daughters in Maghreb families.
French notaires have widely con-
vulnerable,” she said. our social circle and it’s a potential
She is her husband’s second
who have problem for everyone.
wife and the couple had drawn stepchildren “Those who may not have
up wills invoking English law to good French may think it is too
protect her and leave her more – this is a complicated to complain but you
than allowed under the réserve.
She urges others to complain
potential can complete the form in either
French or English – just click and
to highlight the issue to the problem fill it in.”
commission, which previously Issues are less likely to arise if all
told The Connexion it was aware
for everyone è Turn to Page 2

Brigitte
From the old ways... ...to the new
‘right to
oppose
inclusive
writing’
Columnist
Simon Heffer
Photos: Ville d’Aix-les-Bains

P14
Photo: XTU Architects

Horses and carts are back on Windows fitted with algae to L 14574 - 243 H - F: 5,80 € - RD

the streets of France... French Living provide heat and potential food P35

Interview: my food Frustration at How much income Make sense

label fight with renovation grant is needed in France of six-month
lobbyists admin issues for a decent life? French visas
FRENCH LIVING P38 P10 P19
 2 News connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023
HIGHLIGHTS Inheritance change: widespread opposition

“
News 1-11
Power cut risks/French drivers challenge London fines 3 Notaire François Trémosa, of
è Continued from page 1 Mr Cagniart is not aware of
Ireland and France Brexit boom/Etias website opens 4 children are from a couple’s any current legal cases on this. Trémosa-Les­ chelle et Associés,
Energy rating law ‘puts older houses at risk’ 5 marriage and expect to inherit “It can take a long time, and near Toulouse, said the 2021 law
Energy prices, Etias, health checks... what’s new in 2023 6-7 on the second parent’s death. the law is still recent,” he said. “is absurd and does not respect
2023: Changes to everyday life 8 This may not be the case for “But there have been a number the rules of the EU regulation”.
Historic steam train swaps coal for olive fuel 9 stepchildren, who have no The French law is of articles on the legal doctrine However, he said that while he
How much do you need for ‘decent life’ in France? 10 réserve rights and face high tax absurd and doesn’t aspects, including some very understood the reader’s action,
‘Bear hunt’ festival added to Unesco’s heritage list 11 if inheriting from a step-parent, virulent French ones, that said he thinks the commission might
How to translate a great American novel into French 12 though President Macron has respect the rules of this goes against the EU regula- consider the issue too complicat-
Normandy is ‘Europe’s most desirable region’ for Britons 13 said he wishes to change this. the EU regulation tion and should not apply.” Legal ed and be reluctant to intervene.
The reader said the law shows experts are “almost unanimous” He said a change may have to
Comment 14-17 double standards: a minister François Trémosa, in opposing it, he said. wait for a case to go through the
Simon Heffer/Richard Ogier 14 recently told British sec- Notaire “If, on top of that, we have courts, probably up to the
Pension reform ‘will worsen inequality’/Nabila Ramdani 15 ond-home owners that France something that comes from European Court of Justice or
Readers’ letters 16-17 could not ‘unilaterally’ change under rules of private inter- Europe to say that France is in the Conseil Constitutionnel.
Practical 18-21 the rule limiting them to 90-day national law [which state that infringement of EU law, that Mr Trémosa said the law cre-
stays as it was governed by an EU law comes above national would confirm that this right of ates complications for notaires.
Your questions 18 EU regulation, yet she said they law], though for the moment compensation must be set aside. He is dealing with a situation
Make sense of six-month visas 19 had done so for inheritance. there is this right for the children So the complaint is very good.” where a disinherited British
Five ways to push through the language pain barrier 20 Marc Cagniart, a Paris lawyer to ask for a compensation levy.” If it is set aside there could be child wants to enforce the rule.
CCAS centres can help you claim health or welfare aids 21 specialising in international It also fails in its apparent complications for inherit- He is going further and taking

24
matters, told The Connexion he in­ten­
tion as inheriting under ance procedures already under a court case to claim his moth-
agrees the 2021 law is contrary Sharia is unaffected: it has way at the time. However the er’s will, which left every­thing
pages to the principles of Brussels IV. forced heirship rules, only they setting aside could be worded to her godchildren, is invalid
French living “It is bound to be challenged give daughters less than sons. with retrospective effect. and that he should inherit all.
Visit the crowning glories of France’s
long-lived, now long-lost monarchy
What protection is available to you under other French laws?
Photo: Jerôme Schwabl

Interview: Serge Hercberg, inventor

of Nutri-Score and ‘Five a day’ SEVERAL French legal mechanisms n A tontine clause, whereby a couple ership. Usufruit includes the right to live
Classic charcuterie at home already exist to help protect against the buy a property stating that the survivor in a home, or rent it out, or to benefit
Turning snowy landscapes into art effects of the 2021 law. becomes sole owner after the first death. from income from investments, although
These need to be discussed with a This clause has to be inserted at the time the beneficiary may not sell anything
notaire – those who speak English can be of buying the property. without the permission of those entitled
DIRECTORY 22-28 found at notaires.fr/en/directory – but we There may be limited rights for disin- to the remainder after they die.
summarise here: herited children to argue that the clause Note that French law gives a surviving
Our dream holiday in Grenoble cost us nothing 29 n A change of marriage regime to should be disregarded but it is generally spouse the right to stay in the family home
‘universal community’, so a couple’s assets accepted this would not be simple; for life if the spouse notifies the notaire
Civil baptisms give secular families a rite of passage 30 become the property of the other on the n A well-worded will or donation au handling the estate of this wish.
Footpath named after WW2 spy who ‘saved London’ 31 death of one member. dernier vivant. It is possible for a person to This has a monetary value: if it is less
This can, however, still pose issues in leave their estate to their spouse in usu- than they are due under the will, they may
Money / Work/ Property 32-39 the case of stepchildren as they have fruit (for lifetime use) or three-quarters in inherit all. If it is worth more, there is no
a right to object; usufruit and one quarter in outright own- requirement to compensate other heirs.
The Back Page 40
Heatwave damage to homes on clay MPs vote for
Why some Bordeaux winemakers want to uproot their vines

Contact Us
Subscribe / resubscribe at: RECENT heatwaves probably aster’ insurance regime in 1989, tough action
www.connexionfrance.com
on squatting
contributed to the collapse of was €2.1billion in 2003.
two buildings in the centre of Hélène Niktas, of an associa-
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Lille last year, killing one per-
Nathalie: +33 (0)6 40 55 71 63* son, a planning expert says.
*Rate set by your operator One of the three-storey build-
Adverts: sales@connexionfrance.com ings had been evacuated after
Editorial: news@connexionfrance.com cracks were noticed in the wall.
It is very likely that investiga-
Write to: The Connexion, tors will confirm that ‘shrink-
Le Grande Bretagne, 30 Av. Grande Bretagne, 98000 Monaco swell’ had an impact, said Marc
@ConnexionFrance Dumont, a town planning
expert from Lille university.
The Connexion This refers to the way clay soil
contracts during droughts, then
Contributors: Liv Rowland, Ken Seaton, Simon Heffer, Nick Inman, Samantha David,
Brian McCulloch, Justin Postlethwaite, Nabila Ramdani, Emma Morgan, Théophile Larcher,
expands after rainfall, putting
Gillian Harvey, Martin Greenacre, Nick Jenkins pressure on buildings.
Sub-editing: Sarah Henshaw Editorial consultant: Bruno Lacombe Design: Lynne Spaight Detached houses are most
affected by shrink-swell, with as
Directrice de la Publication (Managing Editor): Sarah Smith many as 10 million homes
Rédacteur-en-Chef (Editor-in-Chief): Sarah Smith across the country highlighted
The Connexion is published by English Language Media Sarl as at risk of this to some degree.
Registered office: Le Grande Bretagne, 30 av. Grande Bretagne, 98000 Monaco Dr Dumont said the incident
Environmental policy: in Lille led to some social hous-
The Connexion is printed on recycled newspaper. ing providers in the area run-
Subscribers to The Connexion receive their copy wrapped in ning checks on their buildings.
biodegradable eco-friendly film. This is fully compostable at home. He believes a soil analysis pro-
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Annual: French address: €66, needed to update our know-
address outside France: €81.50, 100% Digital: €54 ledge of the risks.
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address outside France: €22.65, 100% Digital: €15 is whether to universally impose
Digital subscriptions only available if you subscribe at connexionfrance.com structural checks on buildings
Encart abonnement sur une diffusion partielle. of a certain age,” he said.
“There are lots of cases where
Printed by Rotimpres, houses have had to be more or
Impressions Rotatives, 17181 Aiguaviva (Girona), Espagne
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responsibility for claims of advertisers or their professionalism. Much work remains to be
Mensuel Depôt légal – a parution.
RCI 10 S 05218 ISSN: 1742 - 6421 CPPAP: 0126 I 85379 done in this area, he said.
“Our understanding of the
tion that guides victims through
drought insurance claims, said
at least 20 people had been get-
ting in touch each week follow-
ing the 2022 heatwaves.
Most of their homes had
pre-existing drought damage.
impact of climate change on “Many of them are worried
urban areas and the weakening because their previous insur-
of buildings is just beginning.” ance claims were rejected, and
Lille was built on marshland, following the 2022 drought,
with a river once running their homes have moved again.
through its centre. Much of the “There are also people who
city’s buildings rest on wooden had repairs done but not done
stakes driven into the water to well, just stapling the cracks,
support the foundations. and their houses moved again.”
“The last two summers have For homeowners to claim for
seen heatwaves. With the repairs, their town or village
droughts, the water which is must first be declared a catas-
always present in the ground trophe naturelle (natural disas-
was removed, then returned ter) zone by the state.
[after rains],” said Dr Dumont. The natural disaster decrees
“Wood is very good at with- are unlikely to be issued before
standing humidity when it is April, which is when Météo
permanently in water, as in France publishes its annual
Venice, but it struggles with report, Ms Niktas added.
humidity going away and then That is why, she said, most of
coming back. That weakens it. those who noticed new cracks
“What’s certain is that the from 2022 are yet to get in
ground has moved a lot due touch with the association.
to the alternation between “People have the impression
extreme heat and rehydration.” that once they get recognition
Insurance federation France of a natural disaster, their
Assureurs estimates the 2022 insurance will automatically
droughts will cost insurers pay, which is false.” Hence, the
€1.9billion to €2.8billion. work of Les Oubliés de la cani-
The record, since droughts cule association to help people
were added to the ‘natural dis- claim effectively.
MPs have passed a bill aiming
to protect homeowners better
against squatters.
It would triple the punishment
that can be given to squatters to
up to three years in prison and a
€45,000 fine.
This will align the penalty
with those for landlords who
force squatters out on their own
without calling on the police.
People who organise squats by
pretending to own a property
will face the same penalty.
Anti-squatting rules are also
to be extended to cover unfurn-
ished property and situations
where forced entry is not proved.
The bill will see a clause
inserted into tenancy agree-
ments allowing landlords to
terminate a lease due to unpaid
rent, without going to court.
A judge will, on request from
a tenant, be able to give longer
to pay or cancel the expulsion if
they have started paying again.
Left-wing MPs said the law
will be hard on those strug-
gling to keep up with rent pay-
ments due to inflation and will
see many become homeless.
The bill was put forward by
the Renaissance party, but
received the support of the far-
right Rassemblement national.
It must now go to the Senate.
 The Connexion
Extra Covid
shot is now
open to all
EVERYBODY in France can
now get a second booster of
the Covid vaccine, the Health
Ministry has confirmed.
There had previously been
confusion, with the booster
campaign targeted mainly at
vulnerable people and over-60s.
You can receive a fourth dose
if it has been at least six months
since your last injection, or
January 2023
Drivers launch legal challenge to
‘shocking’ London zone penalties
A GROUP of French residents
is preparing legal action over
fines, some for thousands of
euros, for driving in London’s
Low and Ultra Low Emission
Zones (LEZ and ULEZ).
Some have low-emission cars
but still received penalties as
they had not pre-registered their
foreign-plated vehicles with
connexionfrance.com
Colin Campbell “My folks are from London so
received fines of I know about the LEZ.
€300 after his “Somewhere along the line
plates were they’ve changed the signage
tracked when from a heavy goods vehicle, and
driving through changed it so foreign vehicles
London’s ultra-low need to register. This has never
emission zone been advertised or made clear.”
He added: “Even for the ULEZ,
it just says you are entering the
News 3
signs high up,” he said. “I ques-
tion the legality of sending mas-
sive fines without any prior noti-
fication and, should my appeal
be rejected, I am prepared to
take the matter a lot further.”
Chris Harris, who lives near
Paris, said: “I challenged the
fines directly with EPC and after
submitting a copy of my carte

Photo: Colin Campbell / Inset: Alena Veasey_shutterstock

three months for over-80s and
immunocompromised people.
If you have recently tested
positive for Covid, you must
also wait three months.
Health Minister François
Braun has warned France faces
a “triple epidemic” this winter,
as Covid, flu and bronchiolitis
cases rise, threatening to put a
strain on hospitals. He did not
rule out requiring masks on
public transport this winter.
Doctors in France have also
received authorisation to write
‘conditional prescriptions’ for
Paxlovid, Pfizer’s antiviral drug
which treats symptoms.
This means people can get a
prescription in advance which
they can present in a pharmacy
should they later test positive.
The drug should be taken with-
in five days of any symptoms.
France’s committee for moni-
toring and anticipating health
risks (Covars) says the drug
enables an “89% reduction in
the risk of hospitalisation and
death within 28 days”.
It is recommended for patients
over the age of 60, and those at
risk of developing severe forms
of Covid.
Covars said the way it inter-
acts with other drugs “limits its
use in patients with organ
transplants or undergoing
chemotherapy, patients with
severe kidney insufficiency, and
patients on dialysis”.
Transport for London (TfL).
Some others were correctly
fined according to TfL’s rules
but say the debt collection
methods for the Penalty Charge
Notices (PCNs) were heavy-
handed and warnings should
have been issued.
The fines were sent out as a
batch by debt collection agency
Euro Parking Collection (EPC)
in November without warning,
many dating back months.
TfL consults the UK’s DVLA
database to determine whether
UK-registered cars are exempt
but owners of French-registered
vehicles are meant to
upload their carte grise
vehicle registration to
prove exemption or pay
fees to drive in the zones.
Fines are sent out for
driving a ‘polluting’
vehicle in the zone with-
out paying fees and/or
when foreign cars are
not registered.
The ULEZ covers the
area within the north and south
circular roads. It is different
from the larger LEZ (which nor-
mally only concerns vans, lorries
and other large vehicles, and
covers most of Greater London)
and the smaller central London
‘congestion charge’ zone. The
ULEZ zone is expanding to
cover the same area as the LEZ
from August 29.
ULEZ fines start at £80 for
cars, rising to £160 if not paid in
14 days; LEZ fines are £250-
£2,000 depending on size of
vehicle and payment times.
Fines then increase by a fur-
ther 50% if not paid
within a month.
Margaux Dubois*
received 28 €97 PCNs
for driving in the
ULEZ. She said: “I was
convinced my car was
compliant, that’s my
fault. What we are mad
about is that they did
not send warnings
but a stack of fines,
demanding we pay right away.”
Ms Dubois created the EPC
Official Complaint Group on
Facebook, which has 700 mem-
bers, mostly in France. Around
80 people provided details of
their fines and they collectively
owed €410,000.
A lorry driver from northern
France, who is in the group, told
French media he owed €205,000
after receiving 333 fines, a sum
zone, it doesn’t say to register
your vehicle if you are foreign.
“I can understand how thou-
sands have been caught out.”
The penalty notices he received
are in French, and include a pic-
ture of his car and licence plate
and the larger fine amount in
bold. “The tone is intimidatory.
They are trying to bully people
into paying,” he said.
Mr Nunn said EPC initially
which he understands could tri- refused to cancel the penalties,
ple if he delays paying. saying he had been fined for
About 40 group members have neglecting to pre-register his
agreed to share their details with vehicle rather than due to his
a lawyer for the forthcoming vehicle category.
legal challenge. He said he too is considering
Ms Dubois said: “I will not legal action as he was unhappy
pay. Perhaps the first, as I rec- over the “bully boy tactics”.
ognise I had not properly done However, after we asked TfL
my research, but that’s it. about his case we were later told
“There is also the question of the fines have been cancelled.
how EPC accessed our registra- Colin Campbell, also from
tion details.” Alpes-Maritimes, received three
They are asking for the fines fines even though his car meets
to be cancelled and their per- ULEZ emissions standards.
sonal data to be deleted. “The intention appears to be
Mark Nunn, from Alpes- to frighten French drivers into
Maritimes, drove to London to paying. They are accessing for-
visit family over Christmas eign vehicle databases for
2021. In November, he received addresses but not bothering to
four PCNs for €1,219.51 each, check for the emissions class.”
rising to €3,658.53 if he did not Another reader received two
pay within 28 days. fines totalling more than €7,000
He had avoided the ULEZ as for unwittingly entering the
he knew his car was not exempt LEZ with a camper van on the
but the fines were for the LEZ way to visit his son.
[editor’s note: Mr Nunn appears “The traffic was heavy and we
to have been charged the maxi- were forced to concentrate on
mum as if for a large lorry]. the road rather than look at
grise, they have cancelled them.”
He had received five fines dat-
ing back to December 2021.
“My diesel vehicle is Euro
6-compliant [emissions stand-
ards introduced in September
2015] therefore exempt from
the ULEZ charges.”
Once an appeal is submitted,
EPC says the case is placed on
hold, meaning the fine should
not increase before the outcome
is resolved.
ULEZ generally affects pre-
Euro 6 diesel vehicles – those
manufactured before 2016 – and
pre-Euro 4 petrol vehicles pro-
duced before 2006.
A TfL spokesman said “An
agreement was recently signed
that gives us good access to the
French driving database. It has
made it easier to trace people
who we have had in our system
for a while. This is why there is
the time gap between entry into
the zone and receiving a fine.”
However, French road traffic
officials said there is no existing
vehicle information exchange
deal between France and the
UK. We are seeking clarification.
TfL also told us fines may be
sent out when foreign vehicles
enter the zones without registra-
tion, but they can be cancelled
on proof that the vehicle was not
in the category for a fine. There
is no actual fine as such for
not-registering, the body said.
*Name modified on request.

Power cut risk remains but the ‘worst has been avoided’
FRANCE is facing the risk of planned
power cuts this January but the signs
are good that the worst-case scenario
of widespread cuts has been averted.
Work to get out-of-action nuclear
power stations operating again plus
efforts by people and firms to use less
energy appear to be paying off.
Many people have also been opting
for EDF’s ‘Tempo’ offer which gives
savings for avoiding peak time use.
A director of RTE, responsible for
operating the high-tension electricity
network, told senators that while they
are still in a state of heightened vigi-
lance, “we’ve avoided the worst”.
The most risky point, he said, was
late November, when many power
stations were at a standstill and wintry
weather was beginning – but it had
passed without serious difficulties.
France has drawn up a strategy of
planned temporary power cuts if the
network comes under too much press-
ure and this is still in place. Energy
firms say they will do their best to
avoid this happening until January.
Worries over France’s situation came
to a head at the start of autumn as half
of the reactors were not running, a
serious problem as France is largely
self-reliant in its – mostly nuclear-
powered – electricity.
Clément Bouilloux, France expert for
energy market consultants EnAppSys,
said one factor was that a lot of power
stations had been shut for mainte-
nance works which could not be com-
pleted during the pandemic. It resulted
in a lot of catching up to be done.
Another issue was that in around 15
latest-generation power stations there
had been suspicion of corrosion inside
the reactors. They had to be closed to
investigate and carry out repairs.
“In recent weeks, EDF has got many
power stations working again but it’s
mostly these that are still shut,” Mr
Bouilloux said. Around 41 out of 56
reactors are working in France.
A gradual plan to reopen them all is
planned through to late February.
“So, the situation is better, or rather
less bad, but having around 15 stopped
is still exceptional,” he added.
Meanwhile, a new reactor at
Flamanville, Normandy, will now not
start operating until mid-2024 (12
years after the original intended date)
instead of the end of 2023.
In a typical year there would be from
one to five reactors shut in December,
Mr Bouilloux said. “Generally, by
January they are pretty much all going.
There might be one or two where there
are issues but they normally pull out all
the stops to ensure they’re all function-
al. At the moment we’re far from that.
“When it’s very cold, France might
buy a little from its neighbours but on
the whole it’s normally a net exporter.
“This year, there’s not just a risk in
France but it destabilises the situation
in Europe generally, notably in the UK.”
He said it was a “fairly positive point”
that EDF had acted quickly to get
as many reactors going as poss-
ible but the corrosion issue appeared
complicated and there was little inform-
ation as to how it is coping with it.
“I wouldn’t rule out power cuts this
winter – it’s starting to get cold –
though I think they might be less likely
in France than for its neighbours.
“So maybe the worst has been avoid- Paris,” the association’s president
ed but that doesn’t mean nothing will Michel Fournier said on FranceInfo.
happen. It’s going to depend a lot on Schools are not on the priority list
the weather and the temperatures. and are liable to close if they happen, at
“For now we have stocks of gas so we least for part of the day. Mr Fournier
can keep everything running but if it’s also criticised the fact that warnings of
still very cold at the end of February cuts will only be put out the day before
I’m not sure where we will stand.” online or via an app. Some rural resi-
There might also be risks early this dents were “not connected” and it left
month if it is very cold and a number little time for mairies to communicate.
of ‘corroded’ reactors are still stopped. Any cuts will be during peak usage
“But unless there’s some disaster, it’s periods so between 08:00 and 13:00 or
unlikely during the holidays,” he said. between 18:00 and 20:00.
RTE has published figures showing A cut would last for a maximum of
residents had latterly cut their energy two hours and they would be spread
use by 10% compared to the average around France so the same areas would
in 2014-19. Mr Bouilloux, however, not be affected consecutively.
questioned how reliable these figures If France’s monitoring of the energy
might be as he said this is hard to situation hits a ‘red alert’, this will be
calculate. He also thought it was likely shown three days before via the EcoWatt
that any reduction had come more smartphone app or at monecowatt.fr.
from industry than the public. Electricity network operators Enedis
The association of rural mayors of and RTE will release details of address-
France has raised concerns that villages es to be affected at 17:00 the day
might be the most affected by any cuts before, via their websites. Enedis also
as priority services such as hospitals has an online tool through which peo-
are usually in towns and cities. ple can search an address or postcode
“I bet there won’t be any cuts in at tinyurl.com/Check-cuts.
 Brexit:
4 News connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023
Moving On
Ireland-France Brexit boom
New links between France and Energy from Cork to Brittany, with con-
Recruiting UK chalet
staff ‘complicated now’
Ireland, one of the most obvious bosses struction beginning in 2023. It
‘Brexit benefits’ – for Ireland, at and should be operational by 2026. A chalet business owner has Briton can apply (and pay) for
least – continue to be forged. politicians Ireland will export renewable spoken of how complicated it a visa in the UK. In France,
These include new ferry servic- sign new energy to France and vice versa. has become to recruit people the employee must apply at the
es and travel deals, a film indus- electricity “We have this with the UK too from the UK to work in the Alps. prefecture for a residency
Photo: Embassy of Ireland, France

try partnership, and a 575km cable deal but find that when it’s windy Jana, from Montagne & card within three months –
electricity cable under the sea. there, it’s windy in Ireland, but Tradition in Les Gets, Haute- and attend a medical – and
Ireland began pursuing closer that is not true of France. Savoie, says she has managed it the employer needs to pay a
links in 2019 when it announced “So, by having wind and this year – her staff is around monthly €50 tax.
a new ‘strategy for France’. demand at different times, we half British, as before Brexit – “Our nearest prefecture is at
In 2021, the two signed a joint will be able to increase exports but it has been expensive. Annecy, an hour’s drive away,
action plan, which Taoi­ seach both ways,” the spokesman said. She gave up completely in and we need to take each per-
Leo Varadkar and President and Rosslare and routes for the to launch a new combined ferry- The cinema deal will mean 2020-21 and has heard others son down three times during
Macron recently discussed first time with Cork and train ticket deal that can be used joint French-Irish productions locally saying they will now the season for appointments.
again over lunch at the Elysée. Waterford. Rosslare says EU in both countries this summer, in either country will be eligible stick to recruiting EU citizens. “If someone leaves, then it’s
This year saw an Irish consul- freight coming through the meaning one ticket can cover a for funding from both. “It will Jana said it is easier to recruit almost impossible to re-hire
ate open in Lyon and the chair- port is already up 370% com- complete journey. facilitate the development of from Australia and New during the season.”
man of Brit­ tany Ferries Jean- pared to 2019. Seven French and Irish univer- talent and the local industries.” Zealand, which have deals in She organises the paperwork
Marc Roué become honorary A Rosslare-Dunkirk freight sities made an agreement on The spokesman said Brexit is place on seasonal work. and appointments in France as
Irish consul in Roscoff. ferry route was launched in 2020 closer cooperation in 2021. “definitely a major factor” in “We try not to look at the the employees are unfamiliar
Links between French and by Danish firm DFDS, which in A spokesman for the Irish the increasing links, though passport, but at the person and with it and may not speak French.
Irish ports have reportedly quad- 2022 started trialling a passen- embassy in Paris said the Celtic there are “other dimensions”. their experience,” she said. She said the Pôle Emploi
rupled in less than two years as ger service as the trade route had Interconnector cable was anoth- For example, he said Ireland She said the process ideally ad­vert is valid for six months –
hauliers opt for sea route deliver- been “extremely popular”. er key deal, though the idea joined the UN Security Council needs to begin in September for you can rehire someone for
ies to and from France instead of Swedish firm Stena Line started pre-dates Brexit. in 2021, meaning France and a Decem­ber start. the same position – but the
via the UK ‘land bridge’. a Rosslare-Cherbourg passenger A financing and construction Ireland are now the only EU She has to advertise the job for rest of the process takes about
Recently, representatives from route in 2022 and says a second agreement was signed in Paris members to sit on it, which has three weeks at Pôle Emploi, two months.
the Port of Dunkirk visited ferry will be added in June, in November in a €1.6billion also led to closer cooperation. though chalet host work is not “We go with the flow but it’s a
Ireland to discuss a “significant” doubling sailing frequency and partnership between Irish state Ireland also opens its first sought-after and locals do not pity, as it’s a big market in the
expansion of trade routes, aim- tripling passenger capacity. electricity operator EirGrid and embassy in French-speaking usually have fluent English. UK to come and do a season,
ing at stronger links with Dublin France and Ireland are also set RTE France. “The cable will go west Africa, in Dakar, in 2023. She must obtain a work per- winter or summer, but due to
mit with a letter saying no one Brexit and no agreement, it’s
Support needed to campaign for MPs for Britons abroad qualified applied. Then, a putting a lot of recruiters off.”

GROUPS supporting the rights of Britons

abroad are seeking help with the launch of
Voice (BHOV) and Unlock Democracy.
New Europeans’ founder, former Labour
a new campaign to renew calls for an MP or MP Roger Casale, said the campaign will
MPs for citizens overseas. get under way shortly with a petition and
The idea of overseas constituencies with website and will lobby MPs for cross-party
MPs for other parts of the world – as France support. “We want to encourage our
has for its citizens abroad – is already sup- communities to ask for it, and to make the
ported by the Lib Dems, but has gained case and show a demand for it,” he said.
little traction among other parties. The government and MPs of all parties are
New Europeans UK, a charity supporting often not well enough informed of the needs
EU citizens in the UK and Britons in the of Britons abroad, he said, but can be sympa-
EU, is teaming up with other groups, thetic if the issues are explained to them.
including campaigners Brexpats Hear Our “British people abroad don’t know where
to turn. There are a myriad of post-Brexit
issues, but if you don’t have proper rep-
resentation, it’s hard to make progress.
“Britons in the EU no longer have a local
council vote in many countries and no
representation in the European Parliament.
“The 15-year limit to UK voting from
overseas is ending – and we are delighted
about that, and campaigned for it – but a lot
of people will need representation, and
being linked to a UK constituency is inade-
quate.” People interested in helping can
email roger.casale@neweuropeans.uk.
Retirees’ income clarified
foreign residents in France on visitor visas (retirees and early-
retirees) need only show an income equivalent to the ‘net’ Smic
minimum wage, not the brut (gross) Smic, to convert their cards to
a 10-year carte de résident after five years in France.
An official website refers to the Smic brut for this purpose, which
is €20,147 and is usually an amount before employee’s social charg-
es. The net, after the charges, is €15,949.
An Interior Ministry spokesman said the brut would only be
relevant to foreign workers. Retirees only need to show the same as
when they first apply to come, ie. an amount based on the net Smic.
It is the amount actually received, in their case, that counts.

Website now open for Etias Travel rules

THE NEW Etias pre-approval
scheme for visits to the EU
will not be operational until
November but the website
which will be used to register is
now live.
Travellers will apply at: travel-
europe.europa.eu/etias_en,
or by using an Etias mobile app.
For now, the site offers inform-
ation only.
Etias will apply to all non-EU
nationals who do not live in the
EU and who do not need a visa
to visit. It will thus not apply to
short or long-stay visa-holders,
nor to Britons who live in
France and have a Withdrawal
Agreement residency card.
However, it will apply to
Britons, including second-home
owners, visiting EU countries,
including France, if their normal
place of residency is the UK.
Ameri­cans, Australians, Ca­na­d-
ians and New Zealanders will
also need this.
Etias will consist of an online
application, with payment of a
€7 fee if you are an adult aged
18-70. Otherwise, it will be free.
It is distinct from the
European Entry/Exit System,
which starts in May and will
require the same people to pro-
vide biometric information for
storage in a database and will
record their entry and exit from
the EU’s Schengen zone.
For more on EES, including
application requirements and
waiting times, see page 6.
One element asked for will
be any convictions for serious
crimes in the last 15 years, or
25 years for terrorism.
All EU countries will require
Etias, apart from Ireland, as will
the EEA (but not EU) states
Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein,
and also Switzerland.
Everyone will need an indi-
vidual Etias but an adult should
apply on behalf of children.
It will also be possible to
authorise someone else, such as
a travel agency, to apply for you.
It will be recommended to apply
before buying tickets or booking
accommodation, although the
application will ask for the first
country you plan to stay in.
Once approved, the holder’s
Etias will be checked as they
enter one of the countries con-
cerned. A valid Etias will allow
you to stay for up to 90 days in
any 180-day period.
Border guards will still be
entitled to ask for other entry
paperwork if they wish.
The approval will be linked to
the holder’s passport and will
last three years, or until the
passport expires. Applicants will
receive an email with an appli-
cation number and, once the
processing is complete, will
receive another with the out-
come, which they can print out
if they wish to have paper proof.
However, this should not be
required, as their Etias status
will be checkable with a pass-
port scan by travel check-in
staff and border guards.
Applicants should check the
name, passport number and
other information is correct
and report it if not. If they have
been refused, the email will give
details of the right to appeal.
A ‘limited validity’ Etias may
be applied for in certain circum-
stances by those refused a full
Etias – for example, to visit a
very sick relative. It is limited to
a certain country or countries
and is of limited duration.
Special rules apply to family
members of EU nationals,
inclu­ding spouses, legal part-
ners, children under 21 or who
are dependants, and dependent
grand/parents. There is no
fee and they are not screened
against databases relating to
illegal immigration.
for children
NON-EU nationality children
leaving France, including for
school trips, need a free docu-
ment called an autorisation de
sortie du territoire (AST) if
they are not accompanied by a
parent or guardian.
One of their parents should
complete a form that can be
downloaded to fill in (or
to complete online, then
print out) at: tinyurl.com/
AST-form1.
The form requires key iden-
tity and contact details for
both the parent and child,
such as place and date of birth,
and the parent’s passport
details. The latter includes
date of issue and issuing
authority. This is marked on
the main page of the passport
and will typically be HMPO.
Validity dates need to be
indicated, which should be
from before the date of travel
and up to one year.
The child needs to keep a
copy of this when they
travel, along with a photocopy
of the parent’s passport and
their own passport.
 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com News 5
News in brief
Cheese line protected
Energy rating law ‘puts older houses at risk’
Many historic buildings are at Ski resorts under threat from new eco-efficiency rental rules
risk under France’s new climate Much of the
Photo: Shutterstock_barmalini

accommodation Rules banning poorly-insulated prop- 90% of the accommodation had an

The grey ash line running
through Morbier cheese has
been ruled a protected charac-
teristic by the Paris appeal court.
It will stop copycat cheeses.
The cheese, from the Jura, has
had an Appellation d’Origine
change law, according to the F or G rating. Sandrine Allonier, co-
at French ski erties from being rented out could be
leaders of eight associations author of the report, said: “You often
resorts is extended to short-term Airbnb-style
dedicated to preserving heritage. have, in the same building, or in a cluster
poorly insulated rentals, the housing minister has said,
They have written to the of buildings designed at the same time, a
with potentially significant conse-
environment minister to ask for quences for ski resorts. hotel, flats used as second or main homes,
the loi climat et résilience to be It will no longer be possible to rent out and short-term rentals.
revisited, as it makes no mention properties with a G diagnostic de perform- “It is entirely reasonable to assume that
of the third of buildings built ance énergétique (DPE) rating from DPEs from the flats will accurately reflect
before 1948. 2025, an F from 2028, and E from 2034. the short-term rental side too.”
The new law bans the owners There was a burst of quick and cheap She said Housing Minister Olivier
of buildings with the worst ski station building in the 1960s and Klein was probably thinking of Airbnbs
energy performance ratings early 1970s, before thermal efficiency in Paris but the rules would apply across
from renting them out. requirements were introduced. the country. “We want to alert owners

Photo: Shutterstock_Regesha Iryna

Protégée (AOP) label since 2000
but this covers only its name
and not its appearance.
Traditionally, farmers would
place their milk curd on ash to
protect it overnight before add-
ing the curd from the morning’s
milking. Today, the line is made
from vegetable ash.
Calanque limit extended
The Calanques national
park near Marseille is to contin-
ue making visitors reserve in
advance until at least 2027.
This summer, as a trial, visit-
ors had to book online to access
the Sugiton calanque, and were
limited to 400 people per day,
instead of the usual number of
up to 2,500, to help the local
wildlife recover.
The trial will continue over
the next five summers, from
late June until early September.
The associations’ presidents A survey by Heero, a fintech firm of properties in ski resorts of the neces-
believe pre-1948 structures – specialising in renovation, found that sity to do some work, and the govern-
usually built using materials in 10 of the 70 ski stations it studied, ment about the huge knock-on effect if
such as stone, brick or wood, more than 70% of accommodation sold they charge ahead with something like
and designed to retain heat – as main residences (2006-21) had F or this. The whole economies of many
risk being associated with other G ratings. At Isola 2000, near Nice, mountain regions could be affected.”
buildings from before 1974,
when the first insulation rules are unable to evaporate humid- hot weather, stone-built houses made by craftspeople who heavy energy loss] – far from
were brought in. During the ity, as they were designed to do, often stay cool for a long time, know what they are doing protecting them into the future,
post-war period, the main and the whole structure can be and in winter, they stay warm. always have some ventilation to it will condemn them.”
objective was to build new put at risk.” But this inertia is not at all taken let humidity out, whereas PVC They added: “We do not think
housing as quickly as possible. He said his association has into account by the new law.” windows made in a factory do this was done deliberately. It is
Gilles Alglave, president of been battling for a decade for Other examples are the prefer- not. It can be a disaster to fit an omission in the drafting of
Maisons Paysannes de France, energy certificates for old ence in the law for replacing old, them in old buildings.” the law which it is urgent and
told The Connexion: “The buildings to take account of wooden windows, with new In the letter, the association vital to correct.”
quickest way of raising your their inherent qualities. ones made from PVC plastic. presidents said: “If this work to Mr Alglave said he had not
classification is to have insula- “They are often very energy- “I have had people come and improve the energy-efficiency received an acknowledgement of
tion put on the walls. efficient but in a completely say that suddenly their houses of buildings does not respect the open letter from the minis-
“This now usually means pol- different way to the buildings are damp and they do not know what they often are – a building try, and the next step would be
ystyrene blocks glued to the which came after,” he said. why,” Mr Alglave said. bio-climate regulated by nature to seek a meeting with ministers.
outside, because it is quick and “The mass of an old stone “I ask what work they have – and puts it in the same basket An environment ministry
cheap, although polystyrene is a wall, for example, has inertia to had done and they say they as something which it is not – a spokesman said he was unaware
disaster for the environment. temperature changes which you have just changed the windows passoire thermique [literally a of the letter but he was sure it
“The effect on old buildings is do not get with thinner con- to PVC and I say that is the thermal sieve and the term used would be taken into consider-
catastrophic, because the walls crete walls. This means that in problem. Wooden windows to describe buildings with ation.

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 6 What’s new connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

Energy prices, Etias, health Events and culture

checks... what’s new in 2023

2023 is an important change year for travel, with two new EU in 2024. On these pages and page 8, where we feature
schemes affecting travel into the bloc. money-orientated, everyday life and environmental updates,
This is also the year France starts to gear up for the Olympics we look at new laws and changes to watch out for.
Residency cards and rights
A NEW immigration law is to be French is inadequate, as now; ALICE Bouilliez of on loss of EU election votes (see
debated, with changes expected to n People issued with orders to leave the EU Britizens asso- eubritizens.eu).
come into force later this year. France, Obligations de quitter la France ciation is awaiting a
Its key proposals include: (OQTFs), would be put on a ‘wanted’ new ruling from the SECONDARY legislation is to be

Photo: Alice Bouilliez

n A new kind of residency card for list, to ensure they do leave and that European Court of prepared in the UK to allow Britons to
sectors with staff shortages (so-called their benefits are stopped; Justice in Luxembourg regain voting rights lost after more
métiers en tension). A list of the jobs n Law-abiding people already in her ongoing battle to than 15 years abroad. A minister said

Photo: L’Armada de la Liberté

affected is to be published in January;
n That people applying for multi-
year residency cards – for example,
workers and self-employed people –
must pass a basic language test and not
just agree to language lessons if their
working in in-demand sectors will
not be asked to leave France even
if they are undocumented;
n A pledge to simplify renewal of
residency rights for law-abiding
resident foreigners.
prove that it was wrong last year that “legislation will be imple-
for Britons in the EU to have had EU mented to facilitate registration of
citizenship rights removed. electors from autumn 2023”.
Her latest challenge, supported pro The British in Europe campaign
bono by lawyers Julien Fouchet and group is once again active, pushing for
Jean-Noël Caubet-Hilloutou, focuses this and better voting methods.

Border control
TWO major changes are due with
regard to entry into the EU of visiting
non-EU citizens: the European Entry/
Exit System (EES) and Etias, in May
and November this year respectively.
Information can be found at:
travel-europe.europa.eu. The EU warns
EES will track comings and goings of
non-EU visitors to the Schengen area,
including having their fingerprints
scanned and a photo taken, for entry
into a database on first entry after
implementation. They will be kept for
three years. Passports will also be
will still need to pass in front of an
officer at a desk for final validation.
Etias will be an online visa-waiver
pre-approval for non-EU citizens to
visit the EU. It will cost €7 for adults
aged 18 to 70 and will last three years
or until the person’s passport expiry.
first intended stay, details of any
criminal convictions, travel to war
zones, and if you have been subject
to an order to leave an EU country.
People will be advised to apply before
booking travel and accommodation in
case of delays in approval (the applica-

Photo: Shutterstock_Hayk Shalunts

people to avoid possible fraudulent
sites seeking to cash in.
There are concerns that EES, in
particular, could lead to long queues at
EU entry points. Foreign people living
in the EU will not be affected but
might become caught up in queues.
scanned to log a holder’s movements,
replacing the need for a passport
stamp, and their identity will be
checked against security lists.
Pre-registration booths are planned
at some airports but, at least for the
time being, it is expected that people
All non-EU citizens will need one. tion requires your ‘travel plans’ but it is
Minors’ approval should be applied for OK if these later change).
by an adult responsible for them. Approval will take from ‘minutes’ to
People must submit name, address four days. In more complex cases, you
and contact details, parents’ names, might be asked for extra information
passport details, educational level and or to attend an interview, which could
occupation, country and address of take up to another 30 days.

Travel and transport

DRIVERS can no longer benefit from
government or fuel company aid to
lower the cost of fuel at the pump
(adding about 20 centimes per litre)
but a ‘targeted’ one-off fuel aid is being
paid in compensation.
A €100 payment is being made to
some 10 million lower-paid workers
who need to drive for work.
Claim this by signing in at impots.
gouv.fr and entering your fiscal number
and numberplate and completing a dec-
laration that you need to use your car to
A NEW electric car hire scheme is due
to launch in Paris this summer. It will
use cars from a firm called Circle
based at ‘Le Village by CA’, a Paris
start-up ‘accelerator’. The firm hinted
to The Connexion that it hopes to offer
the cars in other cities later.
ircle
à faibles émissions (ZFE) in some large THE SPARE car parts market is now Hong Kong route from January 9. This
cities from this month. open to competition from firms other service was suspended due to the
In Paris, the timetable is more than the manufacturer, which should Covid pandemic but will now return
advanced and vehicles from rating allow for cheaper repairs. This was with three flights a week, on Mondays,
3 upwards will be banned from its opened for certain kinds of parts last Thursdays and Saturdays. Low-cost US
ZFE from July. This refers to cars year but is now generalised. airline JetBlue has announced flights
and light utility vehicles registered between Paris Charles de Gaulle, New
before 2006 (petrol-driven) or 2011 EUROTUNNEL has announced a York-JFK and Boston from summer.
(diesel), as well as two-wheelers regis- steep hike in prices for coaches and the
tered before 2007 and HGVs end of cheaper ‘short stay’ returns. All
before October 2009 (pet- journeys will now be sold as singles
rol) or 2014 (diesel). priced in the UK at up to £1,100 for
peak times. It is thought that more

work. The money will be paid out ELECTRIC vehicle coaches will take ferries as a result.
C

directly to your bank account. conversions are

to:
Pho

now eligible for EUROSTAR will not resume services

SNCF is to launch a Paris-Berlin night zero-interest from Calais-Fréthun in 2023. Ashford
train, operated by Austrian railway loans from some and Ebbsfleet stations in Kent also
Photo: Sanef

ÖBB, in cooperation with Deutsche
Bahn, from the end of 2023.
MOTORWAY péage fees are expected
to rise on average 4.75% from
February 1.
The prices are revised annually,
based on factors including inflation.
A reduction for drivers completing 10
return trips or more on the same route
per month will be increased by around
30-40% and there will be a general 5%
reduction for electric car users on Sanef
and APRR networks.
Long-distance train tickets are also
expected to rise in early 2023, though
SNCF said rises will be capped at 6%,
which it said does not fully incorporate
its increased electricity costs.
THE PARIS-Montpellier low-cost
long-distance Ouigo train route will be
extended to Perpignan from March.
high street banks. remain shut. The firm has said it will
‘Circle’ electric cars will launch in Paris Diesel or petrol not run its London to Disneyland Paris
cars and vans can trips this summer, citing impacts of
GREEN insurance vignette stickers on be ‘retrofitted’ so they can enter ZFE Covid and Brexit and preparations for MOTORWAY management company
car windscreens, showing valid insur- zones. The scheme, which is subject to the European Entry/Exit System. Sanef is putting in place infrastructure
ance, are to be phased out in the means-testing, is aimed at people who for a free-flow motorway péage system
course of this year. live or work in these zones. It is to be CONTROLE technique (CT) tests for along the 210km A13 from Paris and
They are no longer deemed neces- tested for at least two years. two-wheelers will be required by June Normandy later this year.
sary as validity can be checked via The government has pledged to for vehicles over 125cc. The tests will It will be operational from 2024 so
numberplates at an online database. keep prices at electric charging be simpler than for cars and cost less drivers will no longer have to stop at
stations from rising by an ‘unreason- than €50, it is planned; they will initial- péages. Numberplates will be scanned
THE CITY of Nantes in Loire- able’ amount this year. ly start in an especially simple ‘visual as they pass through overhead struc-
Atlan­tique is to begin varying parking check’ version. Vehicles will need a CT tures (as shown above, at a trial site).
charges, depending on a driver’s income THE BONUS écologique grant for buy- for the first time in the six months They will pay by direct debit if they
from April 1. Annual parking permits ing an electric vehicle is to rise this leading up to the fourth anniversary of have télépéage badges, or online or at
will become more affordable for year. It will jump from €6,000 to €7,000 entering into circulation and then machines at motorway services within
lower-income households, while park- for the lowest-income half of French every two years after that. three days of their journey.
ing fees are expected to rise for households. A similar system is already in place
non-residents. RYANAIR is launching a Leeds on 88km of the A79 from Sazeret
A ‘social leasing’ scheme allowing Bradford-Perpignan route between (Allier) to Digoin (Saône-et-Loire) in
VEHICLES with Crit’Air 5 pollution low-income households to rent an June 1 and October 26 on Mondays central France, a busy east-west route
ratings (diesel vehicles made before electric car for €100 per month is to and Thursdays. Air France will bring linking the German, Swiss and Italian
2001) are banned from France’s zones start in the second half of the year. back its Paris-Charles de Gaulle- borders to the Atlantic coast.
 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com What’s new 7
Pipers march at the
RECRUITMENT of volunteers to help with
the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic
THE RUGBY World Cup will take place in
France from September 8 to October 28 in Politics
Armada de Rouen
Games will open online in March. People nine venues.

Photo: Shutterstock / Alexandros Michailidis

speaking both English and French are WIDESPREAD make unilateral changes to the Brexit
particularly sought. THE ALPINE World Ski Championships strikes and mar­ Withdrawal Agreement in this area.
Until January 31, people can sign up to a are in Courchevel-Méribel from February ches are expect- “At some point early in the year”,
ticketing draw for the event, which will be 6-19 (courchevelmeribel2023.com). ed in Ja­nu­ary as the UK prime minister will have to
held from July 26 to August 11 next year. pension reforms choose either to settle with the EU or
On February 15, those who are successful ROUEN will again host the Armada de are debated in push the bill through, “provoking a
can buy ticket Rouen (last held in 2019), from June 8-18. parliament (see trade war with the EU”, he said.
packs giving The biggest gathering of large sailing ships more, page 15). The “real deadline” is probably
access to three in the world will include a visit from the around Easter, the 25th anniversary of
events. Breakdan­ British ship The Tenacious. FRENCH elections are to be held in the Good Friday Agreement, he said.

Photo: shutterstock / Midary

cing, surfing and September for senators, the upper
skateboarding are NICE carnival will be from February 10-26, house of the French parliament. BRITAIN and France will hold a sum-
among the more with a theme of ‘treasures of world heritage’. This is to renew half of the seats and mit in the first quarter of 2023 aimed at
unusual sports. The city will be marking the 150th anniver- such elections take place every three reinforcing military and defence coop-
A free opening sary of the event and the city’s listing by years. Voting is by elected officials eration. President Macron said last
ceremony will be Unesco as world heritage. only, including MPs, mayors and other year: “Our partnership with the United
organised on 160 local councillors. Kingdom must be raised to another
boats on the Seine through the city centre. THE 110th Tour de France will begin in level. I hope that we will actively
Anthropomorphic Phrygian bonnets Bilbao in the Spanish Basque Country on IT IS hoped a resolution will be found resume our dialogue on operations,
called les Phryges are the official mascots, July 1. Riders will head through the in the early part of the year over the capacities, nuclear and hybrid areas,
but are causing amusement among com- Dordogne in the south-west (visiting the Northern Ireland border rules dispute, and renew the ambitions of our two
menters who said they look like anatomy area for the first time since 2017) then via which has caused friction between the countries as friends and allies.”
models of a clitoris and sound like ‘fridge’. the centre and east of France before the tra- UK and France and the EU.
ditional Paris finish. Former British ambassador Peter A FOLLOW-UP event to last year’s
THE FESTIVAL Interceltique de Lorient Ricketts said UK/EU negotiations are Franco-British mayors and councillors
will have Ireland as guest of honour from A THIRD season of Netflix smash series going on in parallel with the progress forum in Nancy will also be held, this
August 4-13 (festival-interceltique.bzh). Emily in Paris is set for release this year. through the UK parliament of a bill to time in the UK.

Work
FROM January, there will be money off
the electricity bills of small businesses.
People will submit fuel bills to apply.
The amortisseur électricité aid, worth
up to 25% of the bill, will be incorpor-
ated in future bills.
SELF-EMPLOYED people will obtain a
permanent social charges reduction this
year, of about €200-€500/year, depend-
ing on their means, the government
said, also to help meet energy costs.
Education
FROM JUNE workers will no longer be ‘red’ (more difficult to find work). TEACHERS are to receive a 10% pay tion of measures last year which
able to be reimbursed for arrêt de travail The period of benefit after six months rise on average in September, with made it easier to add maths as an
sick leave prescribed by someone will be cut by 25%: someone who would additional rises linked to extra respon- option, it will return for all those
online, other than their own GP or a have been able to claim for a year, will sibilities. President Macron pledged who have not already chosen it as a
doctor they have seen in person in the only be able to do so for nine months. that all teachers beginning careers Bac ‘speciality’.
last 12 months. However, if the job market has become will earn at least €2,000 net per month. However, only an hour and a
‘red’ during the nine months, they might half of maths will be imposed
CHANGES in unemployment benefit be able to claim for the full year. MATHS is to become obligatory per week.
rules come in in February, with the again at the rentrée for all pupils Extra maths teacher training for all
length of time payments last set to THE SMIC minimum wage is increas- in première and terminale classes primary school teachers is also
change depending on the state of the ing by 1.8% on January 1, by €24 net/ studying for a general baccalauréat. planned and all collèges will be encour-
job market, whether ‘green’ (normal) or month to attain €1,353 net/month. This ended in 2019, but after evalua- aged to have a maths club.

Health An example of a prototype

FREE medical check-ups are to be
offered to all residents at 25, 45, and
65 to prevent common health prob-
lems developing as people age.
At 25, this will include checking on
vaccinations, exercise, addictions,
and difficulties at the start of profes-
sional life. People will also be
reminded of the need to have a GP.
At 45, the doctor will focus on
cancer-testing, especially in relation
to breast, colon or prostate, as well
as mental health. At 65, they will
focus on autonomy and testing for
cancers and preventable conditions.
roof garden design by the
polio, hepatitis A and B). new Roofscapes company
A trial will be run in parts of
France into authorising nurses to
sign off death certificates.
Also, in a three-year experiment,
nurses with advanced qualifications
will be allowed to take on patients
directly, rather than having their
care prescribed by a doctor, and the
patient will be fully reimbursed.
TOBACCO prices will rise on
average 50 centimes, as part of efforts For money-orientated,
to persuade people to give up. everyday life and
environmental updates
Photo: Roofscapes

Retirement plans will be discussed. NURSES, midwives and dentists will

THE ‘MORNING AFTER’ pill will
be available free to all women with-
out a prescription. This previously
applied only to under-18s. People
aged 18-25 will also be able to obtain
free condoms at pharmacies.
SCREENING without prescription
for STDs other than HIV is to be
fully reimbursable for those aged
under 26. An obligatory screening
for newborns against sickle cell
disease (drépanocytose) is also being
put in place in a three-year trial.
THE GOVERNMENT promises to
add an extra 1,000 intensive care
unit beds and increase the number
of staff working in the units.
ACCESS to vaccinations is to be
made easier, as pharmacists, nurses
and midwives will be able to
prescribe and administer them for
other vaccines apart from flu and
Covid (eg. diphtheria, tetanus and
be asked to give out-of-hours care in see page 8
areas where there is a lack of doctors
on call for evenings and weekends.
A DIGITAL version of the carte Property and renovation
Vitale health card is to be rolled out
across France but no date for this has PLANS are moving ahead for new roof- on the concept and make the new gar- obliged to sign up for support from an
yet been set. The idea is currently top garden projects in Paris, as French dens accessible to all residents in the expert called Mon Accom­ pagnateur
being trialled in 12 departments. startup company Roofscapes awaits a buildings (not just top-floor owners). Rénov’ in certain cases.
Known as the e-carte d’assurance decision on planning applic- Roofscapes has contributed to the This applies now for those aiming
maladie, it works via a smartphone ations for two prototype projects in Paris at 50C project (see page 8). for overall home energy improve-
app called appCV. It is an option and the first and 10th arrondissements. ment via a Sérénité version of the
physical cards will continue. Roofscapes, set up by three postgrad- VERY energy-inefficient homes – the grant. From September, it will apply
This year is also expected to see uate French students who met at MIT in worst in the lowest G category for to those seeking grants of €10,000 or
more use of ‘electronic prescriptions’ the US, hopes to create many such roof- energy ‘diagnostic’ tests required for more for two or more works.
with prescriptions being stored in a garden schemes in the capital. sales or letting – can no longer be The work of the expert may be free
digital format and linked to patients’ They say the gardens can help lower rented out from January 1 as they are or paid for, depending on local fund-
online medical records. temperatures in the city centre, which is not deemed ‘decent’ accommodation. ing arrangements in your area and/or
warmer than outlying countryside, and Homes listed F or G will need a new means. More information can be
PEOPLE with mental disabilities encourage biodiversity. comprehensive energy audit to be found at france-renov.fr.
will be eligible for up to three hours They intend to build timber platforms done before they can be sold where
of help a day from a carer under that can fit over the traditional irregular, a pre-sale contract is signed from TAXE d’aménagement, payable on
prestation de compensation du hand- pitched grey zinc roofs. April 1. It will show what work would completion of swimming pools, sheds
icap aid where they face issues with Up to now, they say, roofgardens have improve the home’s effici­ency (Heri­ and other extensions and additions to
carrying out tasks in daily life. been rare in France, and where they tage bodies oppose new rules: Page 5). properties, is rising, especially for
Deaf-blind people can also have 30 exist are usually minimal and typically pools. A set value used to calculatie
to 80 hours of help a month. found on flat modern roofs. HOMEOWNERS applying for the the tax is going up 25% from €200 to
They hope building owners will take MaPrimeRénov’ grant will this year be €250/square metre for pools.
 8 What’s new connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

2023: Changes to everyday life Environment

MORE items are to be includ-
ed in the anti-waste plan
launched last year that
gives money off repair work
as wildfire arson, with a first
team to be deployed this year.
In total, 200 brigades are
planned over six years.
Home and daily life on household items.
These are dishwashers, tum- PARIS will publish findings of
from A (most balanced) to E (to ble dryers, built-in ovens, a ‘Paris at 50C’ study, in
eat in moderation). stoves, stand-alone cookers, March. It is looking at how
laptops, digital cameras, the city will cope in future if
TRIALS of an ‘opt-in’ version sports equipment, audio or climate change worsens.

Photo: Shutterstock_Alena Ozerova

of letterbox labels for publicity video equipment, games
material are being expanded. consoles, drones, kitchen FROM January 1, businesses
Photo: L Poste

This has already been tested
in 11 areas. Parts of the country
which will join the ‘Oui Pub’
scheme in February include
LA POSTE has stopped selling Corsica and the cities of Troyes
its timbre rouge red stamp. and Dunkerque and surround-
It is replaced with a digital ing areas.
e-lettre rouge costing €1.49 – The idea is that not receiving
compared to €1.43 for the unsolicited publicity fliers and
previous version (see: laposte.fr/ advertising sheets should be the
tarif-lettre-prioritaire). default unless you opt in, rather
It allows customers to send a than the other way round, as
stove hoods, musical instru- are banned from disposing of
ments, garden tools, coffee unsold items (this previously
machines, kettles, blenders only applied to limited cate-
and toasters. gories of goods).
Click on the green Réparer Items should instead be
ELECTRICITY prices for people on EDF’s tarif bleu ‘regulated’ button at ecosystem.eco/fr/ recycled or given to charity.
prices (around 70% of households), or contracts linked to it, are to article/lancement-qualirepar.
rise on February 1 as the current 4% price shield is raised to 15%.
This will mean a rise of about €20/month for people who heat A TRIAL of offshore floating
with electricity. It would have been around €180 without a shield. wind turbines is to start off
Regulated gas prices – affecting around three million homes – Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône,
rise from January 1 and will also be capped at 15%. Bouches-du-Rhône. Floating

Photo: SGV Champagne

document of up to three pages currently used with letterbox These caps will affect “all households, blocks of flats, social hous- turbines are seen as promis-
through a website before 20:00 to labels refusing such material. ing, small companies and smaller municipalities”. ing as they can be used even
have it printed and distributed Note that households on regulated gas contracts can only benefit in deep areas. France’s first
the next day. The price includes MORE help with childcare is from these until July 1, 2023, when this scheme ends for gas. All full sea turbine windfarm was
the paper and envelope. planned in the social security contracts will then become market-rate ones. Customers will be opened off Saint-Nazaire,
Users will write a letter online finance law for 2023. able to stay with Engie (former GDF Suez) or change. A compari- Loire-Atlantique, last year. SOME champagne brands are
or take a photo or scan of a letter Single-parent families will be son tool is available here: tinyurl.com/power-compare. Around 15 others are in plan- to start replacing bottles’ foil
or other document to attach. able to obtain CMG childcare The government says no catch-up to compensate for the energy ning or construction. coiffe caps with a more
Anyone who cannot use the aid until children start second- price shields will be due in 2024. eco-friendly paper wrap.
internet will be able to visit a post ary school, as opposed to age SABLES-D’OLONNE in
office to have a letter scanned in. six. ASF money from Caf in the A SCHEME is to start to Families will be able to have Vendée will complete con- FROM April 1, shops will
Old stamps can still be used. case of the other parent failing to allow people to pay for gas, their loved ones’ ashes urns bur- struction of Europe’s first sys- no longer give till receipts
Later in the year, an alternative pay support money will be electricity, water, telephone ied at the foot of a tree, with a tem to recycle used, then unless you ask for one, apart
is also planned. This will make it increased from a minimum €123 and social housing rent bills at plaque placed on the tree. cleaned, waste water back into from for certain costly pieces
possible to pay online and obtain to €185/month. local tabacs. the drinking supply. of equipment. Digital alterna-
a code you can write in the cor- Aid for families using a child- La Française des THERE are warnings of potential This year will see the start of tives will be available.
ner of an envelope that will minder will be reviewed to jeux (FDJ) is to programmed two-hour power the testing stage for this.
Photo: Shutterstock_Sibuet Benjamin

replace a stamp (at ‘red’ next- ensure they have no more left launch Nirio across cuts in January if the system FAST-FOOD outlets are
day rate or slower timbre vert). to pay out of pocket than if the participating shops. comes under high strain. FRANCE is to train new being told to replace dispos-
child was in a crèche. You will scan your An EcoWatt app can provide ‘green gendarmes’ to fight able boxes with containers
THE NUTRI­ SCORE ‘traffic bill or rent receipt alerts (or monecowatt.fr). Details environmental crime such that can be reused.
light’ label shown on many foods CARE homes will be allocated using the Nirio of specific areas affected will be
has been re­ vamped to more
closely align with current health
3,000 extra nurses and care
assistants in 2023 in the first
smartphone app
and this will give a
known the night before.
See also the websites of net-
Miscellaneous
recommendations. phase of a plan to recruit payment QR code work operators Enedis and RTE. THE PRACTICE of egg producers killing male chicks by crush-
It will give higher ratings to 50,000 extra staff by 2027. to present. ing or gassing is banned in the industry from January 1.
foods that are not highly pro- A further 4,000 people are to THE COOLING-OFF period Technology must be used to determine sex within the egg to
cessed and have no added sugar be recruited in the home-help A NATIONAL fund for ‘sustain- for people buying extended war- eliminate male ones. Otherwise, males will be raised for meat.
or salt. sector. As part of a review of the able’ food aid projects is being ranty insurance for equipment is
Oily fish will latter, a minimum charge of €23/ set up, initially with €60million, now 30 days instead of 15. ALL young people with French nationality aged 15-17 who wish
Photo: RVillalon_shutterstock

be more highly hour will be set. to help vulnerable people access to do so can now opt to do Service National Universel as places
valued, as well good quality, locally-produced MARKETING calls and texts have been increased. It involves a stay for a teambuilding course
as lean white PEOPLE who refuse installation food. More details of how the now have to be sent from num- of cultural, sporting and other activities, then a volunteer place-
meats and of a Linky smart meter at their money will be spent are expect- bers starting with 09, and not ment in a charity, government service or the military.
unsaturated fats property after January 2023 will ed during the year. from ordinary mobile phone
such as olive, have to pay an extra €50 per year numbers using 06 or 07. From EVERYONE who owns a gun should have registered by July 1,
rapeseed and walnut oils. A high unless they send their energy A DEDICATED ‘forest ceme- March 1, commercial marketing 2023, on the SIA database (tinyurl.com/SIA-register). It has
sugar or saturated fat content will readings in. This is said to be tery’ is opening this year in calls should not be made on been opening progressively. Licensed sports shooters are the
be treated more strictly. due to the extra cost of checking Muttersholtz, Alsace, inspired weekends or bank holidays, nor next group concerned, from January. Collectors, minors, and
As before, foods can be labelled if this is not done. by similar projects in Germany. before 10:00 or after 20:00. people using guns in their work can register from June.

Money, taxes and finance

BANKS have agreed to limit fee increases to no vious wood bill. A ‘cheque’ will be posted out to rise soon due to increases to taxe sur les logements
more than 2%. They have also committed to be presented for money off a future bill. vacants on empty homes and additions to areas
Photo: Shutterstock_Julia Kuznetsova

reduce the maximum bank fee charge for low
income clients from €3/month to €1/month.
LIVRET A rates will rise on February 1, possibly
from 2% to 3%. Rates of the LDDS, CEL and LEP
will also rise. The rate for new plans d’épargne-
logement rises from 1% to 2% from January 1.
REFORM of French pensions is to be debated in
parliament, with the plan for the pension age to
start rising from the summer, probably by four
months a year until it reaches 65 by 2031, as
opposed to 62 today – though President Macron
has said he is open to the possibility of limiting it
to 64. Protests are expected. The first people
to be affected would be those born in 1961.
A GRANT of €50-€200 for households using
wood-burning heaters is to be given out early this
year. Eligibility will be income-based. You can
claim it at chequeenergie.gouv.fr and will need
your numéro fiscal French tax number and a pre-
classed as zones tendues (places which have hous-
INCOME tax bands will rise by 5.4% to index ing shortages) where mairies can opt to levy a
them with inflation, helping to reduce tax bills. 5-60% taxe d’habitation surcharge as a way to
encourage main residences.
FOLLOW-UP is still awaited on inheritance rule A new list is expected to include 5,000 com-
changes, as promised by President Ma­cron prior munes, as opposed to the current tally of 1,149
to re-election. He pledged to increase the tax-free spread across 28 urban areas. You can check if
deduction between parents and children and to your area is listed at tinyurl.com/zonesFrance.
lower taxes for other relatives, such as stepchildren. THIS will be the first year when taxe d’habit-
ation residents’ tax does not apply to any main BANK mortgage rates are expected to continue to
USE of Google Earth satellites is to be extended to homes after a gradual phasing out. It will rise. Most are more than 2% now, some 3%,
more areas after proving in a trial a lucrative tool continue in full for second homes. which has not been seen since 2016.
to track undeclared swimming pools. Authorities
compare images showing pools in gardens with ONE in five mayors are reported to be looking at A SERVICE to facilitate pensions alimentaires
tax registers to see if pools have been declared, a raising local tax rates, including a 50% increase in support payments, which opened last year for
factor which can raise taxe foncière (see page 33). Paris for the taxe foncière. To save money, most divorcees with children, is being extended to
mayors are considering reducing use of street apply to other separation/divorce scenarios where
VOLUNTARY National Insurance contributions lighting and most plan to turn down heating in children are concerned, including unmarried
to top up a UK state pension from abroad are sports facilities and public buildings. couples. An agency run by Caf and the MSA will
set to go up in line with a 10.1% hike in the take payments from the ex-spouse’s account where
consumer price index in September 2022. They OWNERS of vacant properties and second homes financial support has been decided by a judge,
will rise to £3.45 and £17.45 from April. in many areas are likely to see their local tax bills and pass them on (unless both parties opt out).
 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com News 9
Steam train runs on coal – and olives Human urine is field fertiliser
Towns are turning to ‘dry
toilets’ to save water and protect
The Train des Pignes in the south of France has been running since 1891. the environment.
Here, the train is crossing the Viaduc de la Donne, just before the village Last summer, public toilets
of Annot. Inset: A fireman loads grignon into the firebox and male and female urinals
were installed in Lyon’s city
centre, with the urine used by are spending huge amounts of
local farmers to fertilise fields. money and energy to extract
The results were 104,200 litres nitrates from wastewater [to
of urine, 435,000 litres of water purify it], and huge amounts to
saved, and 43 hectares fertilised. extract nitrogen from the air to
Photos: Train des Pignes

A regular toilet uses six to nine create fertiliser.”

A historic steam train used
for tourist rides in the hills
above Nice has experimented
with fuel made of grignon, the
cakey mass left behind in the
press when olives are crushed.
The first results are encourag-
ing, says the association that
runs the Train des Pignes, in
operation since 1891.
The train covers 20km
between Puget-Théniers (Alpes-
Maritimes) and Annot (Alpes-
de-Haute-Provence) most days
during the summer.
Jean-Michel Delfino, presi-
dent of the Groupe d’Etude
pour les Chemins de fer de
Provence (GECP), said: “There
are two main reasons we tried
this. The first is that, with the
war in Ukraine, coal for our
trains suddenly became harder
to find and more expensive.
“With coal mines in most of
Europe shut, we use Polish coal,
which is very good quality, but
is now hard to come by because
so many coal power stations are
re-opening.
“The alternative is coal from
South America or South Africa,
but we are not too happy about
bringing coal from so far away.”
Environmental factors were
also a consideration.
“The train uses around a
tonne of coal a day for its 40km
round trip, because the line is
very steep, and reducing this
reduces our carbon footprint.”
Grignon contains the dried
pulp of the olives and crushed
stones. Historically, it was used
for cooking in some poor
provençal homes, but its main
use now is being spread on
fields as a soil improver.
It also acts as a slight fertiliser
but is not as potent as other
biological fertilisers. “We mixed
it 50-50 with the coal, and
it worked well, although it
does not have the calories of
coal and burns differently,” said
Mr Delfino.
“Incredibly, the only source we
could find was in Tunisia, where
it is sold compressed into blocks,
and sometimes these blocks
were not so solid, so we are try-
ing to find local oil mills that will
convert their own grignon into
something we can use.”
Smoke from the mix smells
different to pure coal smoke but
is not unpleasant, he said.
“It doesn’t smell at all of
olives or hot olive oil, strangely
enough.”
One problem, identified in
the trials carried out at the end
of the tourist season, was dust
from the grignon blocks burn-
ing off too quickly and shooting
litres of water per flush, up to Ms Allebone-Webb said the
20% or 25% of household usage, French laws are unclear, but
said Sophie Allebone-Webb, a urine is generally treated the
researcher at Ecosec, the firm same as animal waste.
up the exhaust, and also mak- that produces the Lyon toilets. The urine is stored for six
ing the footplate slippery. The seat resembles a classic months as its pH will naturally
The grignon also burned toilet but waste falls on to a con- increase and kill any pathogens.
quicker and with a more intense veyor belt and is separated so the It cannot be used for organic
heat than coal, and so could be urine can be treated and used. farming, however, as humans
used in a higher percentage on “Urine is almost perfectly do not spend enough time out-
uphill parts of the track where matched to be a fertiliser for side to be considered organic.
more power is required, and most plants. It has ammonium “This is currently being fought
less elsewhere, if the firemen on and phosphorus, two of the in the EU courts, especially con-
the engine can manage it. three main elements needed by sidering humans take fewer anti-
The Train des Pignes (pine plants, and has a bit of potass- biotics and medication than
cone train) has two legends as ium, which is the third.” most farmed animals.”
to how it got its name. Fertilisers are becoming more Ecosec, which was created
The first is that, one snowy expensive and consume a lot of in Montpellier in 2014, has
Christmas in the early days of the energy. Nitrogen must be extract- installed toilets at the city’s
train, it stopped to give coal to a ed from the air, while phospho- Christmas market, various festi-
poor family with a sick child. rus is a non-renewable resource. vals and a Paris restaurant. It has
It later risked running out of Separating urine also reduces also worked with winegrowers
fuel, until the crew saw masses the costs of purifying grey water to use urine as fertiliser.
of pine cones, which they then (from taps, showers, etc), as this In Dol-de-Bretagne (Ille-et-
mixed with the remaining coal. is mixed with waste in the Vilaine), a new development of
The other explanation is that sewage system. around 20 apartments was
the train sometimes went so “Urine makes up 1% of the fitted with dry toilets.
slowly uphill that passengers total volume, yet about half of A longer version of this article
would get off to gather cones. the cost of purifying water. We is at our website (search Ecosec).

Terror fears as Eurostar

security to be privatised Time to take
control of your
Plans to outsource security baggage controls to
a private company at the Paris Gare du Nord
Eurostar terminal could put passengers at risk of
terrorist attacks, customs officers have warned.
Security at the Gare du Nord station has been
denounced the conditions under which they were
hired, often through posts on Facebook or from
private security companies, with very few back-
ground checks and little security knowledge.
Solidaires Douanes has raised concerns that –

Eurostar’s launch in 1994.

financial planning.
provided by Douanes border officials since the

The new plans would affect luggage and security

checks carried out before boarding the Eurostar.
A Douanes spokesman said: “The new appear-
ance of a border with the United Kingdom and
the end of the health crisis are two events favour-
ing such a change.”
The increase in visitors expected for the 2024
Paris Olympics is another factor.
Solidaires Douanes, the border agents’ main
trade union, called the project “explosive” in a
press release featuring an image of a sinking ship
with “Security?” written on the side.
The union questioned the government’s deci-
sion to focus on “financial profit” and argued that
transitioning to a private company will mean a
lower quality of service, higher ticket prices, and
an increased risk of terrorist attacks.
Co-general secretary Fabien Milin asked: “What
is the logic behind this, other than purposely
generating understaffing?”
He said the reduction in Douanes staff has
reached a “critical point”, with the number of
agents due to be cut in half, from 120 in 2020 to
60 by 2024, under government plans.
The Douanes said the decision to reorganise
border activities is in line with what has been
done in airports and seaports, where security
checks are already privatised.
Mr Milin fears the policy could pose a threat to
safety. He recalled the chaos that unfolded at the
unlike French customs officials – the private staff
will be unarmed and untrained, a “dangerous bet”
that could result in the “non-detection of weap-
ons” or the “accidental triggering of explosives”.
It warned that private staff would not be able to
respond as effectively to an imminent terrorist
threat, with millions of travellers set to pass
through Gare du Nord for the 2023 Rugby World
Cup and 2024 summer Olympics.
“If the private company is responsible, what
would be the details of their insurance policy? The last few years have presented various Talk to the people who know
“Considering the tremendous value of the infra- challenges, which perhaps makes it more
structure at stake, one might wonder how much important for us to take control where we can, 0 805 112 163 (N0 Vert)
could be paid and under what conditions,” said particularly with our long-term financial security.
What steps can you take in 2023 to protect france@blevinsfranks.com
Solidaires Douanes in its press release, highlight-
ing the fact that any major incident in the yourself and your family well into the future?
Channel Tunnel would bring all traffic to a halt. Blevins Franks has 45 years’ experience www.blevinsfranks.com
The price of Eurostar tickets will increase as the managing our clients’ capital. We provide a range
cost of security from a private company will be of integrated financial services to give you peace
transferred to the customers, Mr Milin said. of mind. Our investment recommendations are
Solidaires Douanes also warned Eurostar that personalised for you and designed to be tax-
private staff “will have the right to strike, whereas efficient and meet your estate planning wishes.
customs staff can be compelled to work”. And with our regular reviews, you’ll know your
While no terrorist attack has taken place at the savings are well looked after.
Gare du Nord, most people remember the 2015
Thalys train attack in which French, American
and British passengers disarmed a terrorist.
INTERNATIONAL TAX ADVICE • INVESTMENTS • ESTATE PLANNING • PENSIONS
Last February, two police officers killed a man
threatening them with a knife at Gare du Nord Blevins Franks Group is represented in France by the following companies: Blevins Franks Wealth Management Limited (BFWML) and Blevins Franks France
but this was not classified as a terrorist attack. SASU (BFF). BFWML is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority, registered number C 92917. Authorised to conduct investment
services under the Investment Services Act and authorised to carry out insurance intermediary activities under the Insurance Distribution Act. Where advice
Solidaires Douanes said it expects the change to is provided outside of Malta via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system
differs in some respects from that of Malta. BFWML also provides taxation advice; its tax advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. Blevins Franks France
happen in 2023, or 2024 at the latest. No call for SASU (BFF), is registered with ORIAS, registered number 07 027 475, and authorised as ‘Conseil en Investissements Financiers’ and ‘Courtiers d’Assurance’

Stade de France in Paris for the 2022 Champions contract bids has been opened yet. Category B (register can be consulted on www.orias.fr). Member of ANACOFI-CIF. BFF’s registered office: 1 rue Pablo Neruda, 33140 Villenave d’Ornon – RCS
BX 498 800 465 APE 6622Z. Garantie Financière et Assurance de Responsabilité Civile Professionnelle conformes aux articles L 541-3 du Code Monétaire et
164-fr

League Final. Eurostar said it had “no information to share Financier and L512-6 and 512-7 du Code des Assurances (assureur MMA). Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial
Services Authority for the administration of retirement schemes. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFWML.
Several stewards and security staff publicly about the subject”.
 10 Talking points connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

How much do you need for ‘decent life’ in France? Macron ‘could stand again’
How much income do you place in mid-sized towns THE President, Emmanuel

Photo: Shutterstock_Victor Joly

need to live a decent life in between 2013 and 2014, estab- Macron, could run for a third
France? An economist at a lead- lished a detailed ‘basket’ of consecutive term – by using a
ing research body says €1,634 a items for each category, depend- constitutional loophole, a former
month for a single person, or ing on the type of household. justice minister claims.

Photo: Shutterstock_Mark Yuill

€2,540 for a retired couple.
His report focuses on people
who rent, with rent and housing
bills representing around a
third of living costs.
People who own their proper-
ties should deduct around €523
if living with children, €455 if
retired, and €332 if living alone.
In 2013-14, the Observatoire
national de la pauvreté et de
l’exclusion sociale (Onpes) gov-
ernment agency published sev-
eral ‘reference budgets’ evaluat-
ing the cost of goods and servic-
es needed to live a ‘decent life’.
Pierre Concialdi of the Institut
de recherches économiques et
sociales updated the calcula-
tions for the first half of 2022.
Here are the 2022 thresholds:
n Working-age person living
alone: €1,634;
n Working-age couple without
children: €2,273;
n Single-parent family with two
children: €3,003;
n Couple with two children:
€3,744;
n Retired person living alone:
€1,836;
n Retired couple: €2,540.
The data was drawn up with
the help of focus groups, and
This includes a TV, computer, Jean-Jacques Urvoas, now a
landline, a phone and internet law professor at Brest University,
subscription, and a mobile raised the possibility, reported
phone for each member of the by L’Opinion newspaper.
household, but not Netflix or a He referenced a recent court
smartphone, Mr Concialdi told decision to allow the president
The budget for a ‘decent’ life includes a French gîte holiday The Connexion. of French Polynesia, Edouard
covers broad categories such as with two incomes and no He said: “The primary object- Fritch, to run for a third term in Rules restrict presidents to
housing, transport, clothing children. ive of this study was to measure 2023 despite a ban on more than two consecutive terms
and social life. The budgets have risen by the variation in cost of this bas- two successive five-year terms. then run again. However,
Social life costs, for example, between €195 for a single per- ket, not the effect of changes in It is because Mr Fritch did not Dr Mathieu does not think the
include one French gîte holiday son and €402 for a couple with its make-up. complete two full five-year president would consider it.
per year, restaurant and cinema two children since the Onpes “The effects of changes on the terms, as he was elected in 2014 In a different scenario from
trips, and “offering gifts to calculations in 2014. basket’s costs would be minimal after his predecessor resigned Mr Urvoas’s, Mr Macron could
maintain social links”. For each living situation, this in any case.” and was re-elected in 2018. dissolve the Assemblée nation-
The undertaking differs from rose between 12% and 13.5%, Participants did, however, Mr Urvoas questions whether ale in 2023, lose the ensuing
the poverty line, which is simply more than overall inflation for agree on the need for children Mr Macron could benefit from election, and then decide to run
60% of the median income and the same period, evaluated by from the age of 11 to have a the same loophole as Article 6 for president and win. His term
was €1,102 for a person living the national statistics agency games console in order to be of the constitution, which would thus be extended until
alone in 2019. Insee at 10.1%. able to socialise. restricts presidents to two con- 2028, rather than 2027.
The report states: “Poverty Mr Concialdi used inflation Costs might also have risen secutive terms, does not specify In both scenarios, France’s
lines aim to define the thresh- statistics to calculate the price since the first half of 2022, the duration of the terms. highest constitutional authority,
old below which households increase for each item or service which was used for the update. Bertrand Mathieu, a constitu- the Conseil Constitutionnel,
have a strong risk of serious included in the 2014 budgets. “The first half of the year was tional law professor at Panthéon- could deem the moves unlawful.
hardship in their daily lives. The category that saw the chosen so the results would not Sorbonne law school in Paris, That means that in the second
“The reference budgets define largest cost increase was ‘social depend on circumstantial varia- said: “Such a textual interpret- scenario he would have actually
the threshold above which it can life’ – between 17.8% and 25.5% tions which can be erratic, par- ation is debatable, but it would shortened his second term by
reasonably be assumed that – with holiday accommodation ticularly for energy, where prices not be in the spirit of the law.” four years.
households have the capacity to rising the most (33.6%). also depend on fluctuating pub- Article 6 specifically aims to “Both legal and political reas-
effectively participate in social Housing costs have also risen lic aid,” Mr Concialdi said. limit terms – no matter their ons coincide to mean it will
life without risking serious faster than inflation, even “I think it is unreasonable to duration – and was not designed most likely not happen,” said
hardship.” though rents only rose by 8.7%. believe we can, in the short to be exploited for its ambigui- Dr Mathieu.
The French minimum wage This is due to the steep rise in term, have a precise under- ties, he said. “This would be a The constitution allows Mr
(currently €1,329.05 net) is related costs, such as energy standing of the effects of the distortion of the law.” Macron to run for president
insufficient to reach these (41.9%) and insurance (17.7%). energy crisis or of the conflict In one scenario, Mr Macron again only in 2032. If elected, he
thresholds for all but the couple The focus groups, which took in Ukraine.” could resign in early 2027 and could run again in 2037.

Investment insight by Joanne Leach

Five New Year’s Resolutions

Joanne Leach
Senior Client Director,
Strabens Hall EU

Once again it’s time to make our New Year’s
resolutions. Of course, for many healthy diet
and exercise is their first resolution, but here
are some money resolutions that may make
2023 a more prosperous year.
Invest either regularly or a lump sum into tax
efficient savings vehicles such as an assurance
vie, and if you don’t have one already, Livret A,
LDD. The advantage of these investment wrap-
pers is that their tax efficient status allows great-
about investing each year. The seminar isn’t
product specific but looks to provide you
with the knowledge that everyone should
have to enable you to ask the right questions.
If you’re interested let us know and we will

Photo: Blue Planet Studio_shutterstock

Resolution one:
i resolve to have an annual financial meeting on
or around my half-birthday.
Schedule a meeting with your significant other
on your (or their) half-birthday to go over the
following:
- Asset allocation in all your accounts
- Review forgotten accounts?
- Review your investment funds?
- Savings/investments at correct levels?
- Review insurance?
- Review succession planning
Resolution two:
i resolve to build a fund for eXCitinG and not so
exciting events and unknowns in the future:
Here’s how.
Amass a sum of money that you don’t expect
to touch for a minimum of five years.
This communication is not intended to constitute and should not be construed as investment advice or investment recommendations or investment research.
er potential for growth and planning. Consider keep you informed.
this the place to make your investment for the
next five to ten years. Resolution Five:
Your next step would be your asset allocation. i resolve to get my estate plan in order.
Depending upon time scales and how adventur- There’s nothing more certain than death
ous you feel it’s good to have a diverse portfolio and taxes and unfortunately, living in France,
of assets including equities, alternative assets we are faced with some of the highest taxes
and fixed interest securities. in Europe.
We all NEED an estate plan. Make a
startherefrance@strabenshall.eu
Resolution thRee: rendez-vous to see your financial adviser
Strabens Hall France
i resolve to look out for inflation. and notaire and plan your succession.
37-41, Boulevard Dubouchage,
Inflation is going to continue to be at the Do it soon, because in the moment you 06000 Nice, France
forefront in 2023. You should have your actually need to use it, you won’t be able +33 (0)4 93 13 33 45
money protected from inflation. Consider to do it.
Strabens Hall UK
some of the traditional inflation hedges, like D’Arblay House,
real estate or natural resources, as well as We hope you have a healthy and prosperous 16 D’Arblay Street,
inflation linked bonds. year and that these five tips bring a better London, W1F 8EA
2023. Irrespective of how your year works +44 (0) 207 467 4444
Resolution FouR: out, you’ll be better for being organized,
i resolve to learn more about money. saving on taxes, protecting your portfolio,
There are many good books that you can read. getting smarter, and protecting your
Also Strabens Hall do an educational seminar family.
 The Connexion
Medieval ‘bear hunt’ festival is
added to Unesco’s heritage list
Bear festivals in the Pyrenees
have been added to Unesco’s
Intangible Cultural Heritage
list – along with French
baguette-making.
The Fête de l’Ours takes place
every February in three villages
in Haut Vallespir (Pyrénées-
Orientales), south west France,
and two in Andorra, and
celebrates the end of winter.
Each village practises slightly
different customs.
In Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste,
one of the villages perpetuating
Photo: Any Capell
the Catalan tradition, which
used to take place across the
region, three men dress up as
bears by covering their skin in
soot and oil and donning
sheepskin garments.
They run around the village
and attempt to blacken the
faces of bystanders.
Serge Roca, who works for
the town hall in Prats-de-
Mollo-la-Preste and played
the role of the bear in 1991
and 1992, said: “The goal is to
catch as many people as poss-
ible, men and women, even if
they prefer the women, as it is
a ceremony around the rut.”
Each bear is chased by three
or four hunters, who wield
rifles and fire blanks.
One of the hunters usually
holds the soot and oil mixture
in case the disguise needs
touching up, and another car-
ries wine for the bear to drink.
The hunt lasts around two
hours, until a group of barbers
arrive to capture the bear and
chain him to a chair. Armed
with an axe, the barbers shave
the beast, removing the black
from his face and his fur.
“Once he has returned to
his human appearance, the
Renault revives classic with electric SUV
Renault has unveiled a concept car
based on the new Renault 4L – which looks
nothing like the old one which was hugely
popular in France and abroad.
The original, with an upright, light
hatchback body, small petrol motor, skinny
tyres, and famous ‘umbrella stick’ gear
change, was a huge success for the com-
pany, with eight million cars sold in more
than 100 countries between 1961 and 1994.
They are still sometimes seen in French
towns, although many have now been
heavily modified to be driven in North
African rallies – either all-women events
(the Gazelle Rally) or student ones in the
fundraising 4L Trophy rally.
In many African countries they are still
commonly used as taxis, as the relatively
simple mechanics in the car mean they
are easy to fix and parts are easy to find.
The new Renault 4 Electric, which will go
on sale in 2025, has had its design finalised,
says Renault, and unofficial guidance from
the company is that it will look a lot like
the concept car called the 4ever Trophy.
If it follows the concept car, it will have
a beefy sport utility vehicle-type body and
‘Tonka toy’ styling, and will be half a metre
January 2023 connexionfrance.com News 11
FRENCH NEWS IN ENGLISH SINCE 2002
Subscribers save money
+ benefit from exclusive
daily web articles
Here are some recent subscriber web-only articles:
n Where are Covid cases rising most in France?
n Electricity, gas, wood, oil: do you qualify
Photo: Jacques Miot
for heating aid in France?
n Hunter’s shot hits car full of people on main road
n Tens of thousands in France sign up
to EDF’s energy-saving Tempo plan
Left: A man dressed as a bear in Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste blackens the face of a woman
Right: Barbers, also known as ours blancs (white bears), prepare to remove the bear’s fur n How will the EU’s Etias visa-waiver scheme affect
festival is over, and everybody 2021, the Office for Bio- remain reasonable. “If there are non-EU residents of France?
In our February issue...
dances together.” diversity estimated that too many people, the bears
The ritual is virtually un- there were at least 70 bears won’t be able to run through
changed since it began in in the area. the streets.”
the Middle Ages, according
to Mr Roca, and has its origins
in local legend.
Back in Mr Roca’s day, you
had to wait for a bear to retire
to get a shot at playing the role,
The Intangible Cultural Herit-
age list recognises practices,
knowledge, skills, and other
Your questions answered
“There is a legend around the but since there are now many elements that demonstrate the n Can I belong to both- n What are formalities to
bear, which is one of the first young locals who want to par- diversity of humanity’s cultural French health system close Livret A where holder
animals to come out of hiber- ticipate, names are drawn out heritage, including Spanish and US Medicare? dies outside France?
nation. The bear emerged from of two hats: one for those with flamenco, Jamaican reggae, and n Do people with disabled n Money lost in crypto
its cave, and was wandering previous experience, and traditional Chinese tea-making. parking badges have to scam: who can help?
through the forest, where it another for newcomers. Unesco also announced the
kidnapped a female shepherd “There are normally two addition of the ‘artisanal know-
abide by Crit’Air rules? n I am accused of not pay-
with whom it wanted to mate. who have done it before, and how and culture of baguette n Any issues with leaving ing waste tax bills I never
“A woman heard her screams one who is new,” he said. bread’ to the list during the estate to grandchildren? received; can you advise?
and sent hunters to the rescue, It is common for the village’s ceremony in Rabat, Morocco.
who knew that every morning
the bear climbed the same tree.
population to explode from
1,000 to 10,000 on the weekend
The decision was celebrated
by President Emmanuel
PLUs key points of...
One day, they cut half of the
branch, so when it climbed up,
of the festival, according to the
local tourist office, which
Macron, who called the
French baguette “250 grams
Changes for home-owners
the bear fell, and they killed it welcomed Unesco’s decision of magic and perfection in linked to new energy audit rules
and freed the young woman.” but added it “could be difficult” our daily lives”.
Bears were once common to host everybody if there is an In 2023, the Fête de l’Ours
in the region but by the 1980s influx of tourists. will take place on February 5
they were at risk of extinction. Mr Roca said he was pleased in Arles-sur-Tech, February 19
The animal has been gradually the recognition will allow them in Prats-de-Mollo, and on
Photo: The files of the French UFO department Geipan
reintroduced in the Pyrenees to preserve the tradition, but February 26 in Saint-Laurent-
since 1996. In its report for he is hoping visitor numbers de-Cerdans.
Xxxxxx
Photo: Mr.choppers / Wikimedia Commons
INTERVIEW
France’s top
official UFO
Photo: Renault
Photo: Geipan
Left: The 4ever Trophy concept car Right: A 1984 Renault 4
longer and half a metre wider than its north of France will be used to make both
investigator
predecessor. the R5 and R4 electric cars. These and many more practical tips and topics
Round headlamps and other styling clues Many of the parts, especially for the about life in France + full access to our website
subscribe
will serve to link it with the 4L. power train, will be based on the Zoé
Renault says its relationship with its other electric car Renault has been selling since
new all-electric car, the R5 Electric, due in 2013, with the company saying this will
showrooms in late 2024, will be the same give it a 30% cost advantage compared
Subscribe now at connexionfrance.com to
as that between the existing Captur SUV to competitors that are designing electric
and the Clio small car. cars from scratch.
Both the R5 Electric and R4 Electric will Prices have not been announced, but the receive the February edition at your home and
be fitted with technology which will allow company said it will be more expensive
their batteries to be used to send power to than the electric R5.
benefit from full access to our web articles.
the grid when they are plugged into the Zoé models cost around €30,000 to buy, Only €66 to a French address
wall at times of peak demand. before government grants designed to
The Renault factory in Maubeuge in the promote electric motoring. Or call Nathalie on 06 40 55 71 63
 12 Interviews connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

Tone down the swearing, swot up on Google

Street View... how to translate a great novel
by Emma Morgan extremely crude. It’s bad in English
but it’s even worse in French.
“You have to find tricks in order
The FRench translator of one of the to reflect that natural language of
most acclaimed American novels of the streets, but avoid caricaturing
2022 has spoken of how her work sheds and maintain the lyricism.”
light on subtle cultural differences. Translation is not just about
Pauline Loquin translated Night- mechanically relaying the meaning
crawling by Leila Mottley, which was of words into another language –
longlisted for the Booker Prize and Ms Loquin was also eager to evoke
was a finalist for the Prix Médicis an “immersive” sense of how Kiara’s
Etranger award in France. surroundings inform the atmosphere
The award recognises authors in of the novel.
translation “whose fame does not yet “You really need to dive into the
match their talent” and was ultimately universe of Oakland, where I have
won by Ukrainian novelist Andrey never been,” she says. “Leila grew up
Kurkov for Grey Bees. Photo: Magdalena Frigo there so the city is almost like a char-
Ms Loquin says translation “reveals acter in itself. I spent many hours on
the workings of a society, how its Google Street View so I could follow
people interact”. Kiara’s movements and give much
She adds: “One of the aspects of more tangible descriptions of a build-
translation that I find most fascinating ing or a street and soak up a sense of

Photo: Pauline Loquin

is how language reflects how its
speakers think.
“British and French people do not
communicate in exactly the same way
through their languages.”
Nightcrawling (Arpenter la nuit in
Right and inset: Pauline Loquin’s the characters’ lives.
translation of Nightcrawling was a “Also, in Nightcrawling there is an
finalist in the Prix Médicis Etranger emphasis on music, so I listened to
Above: US author Leila Mottley a lot, especially the artists who are
trification, she tries to look after a little translations of Tolkien-related texts. speech is not perfectly correct.” After mentioned in the novel, to give
boy whose drug addict mother has dis- While those projects required an writing the first few chapters, Ms myself a rhythm and to guide me.”
appeared, while “begging for shifts at appreciation for the otherworldly Loquin sent them off for approval to Ms Loquin says she was “extremely

“
British and French
people do not
communicate in exactly
the same way through
their languages
French) is a case in point, she says.
It offers a window into the mind of
17-year-old protagonist Kiara as she
navigates the marginalised spaces of
Oakland, California, looking for work.
With her rent rising because of gen-
the liquor store and counting the num- intricacies of Middle Earth, the publisher, who subsequently let touched” to discover Arpenter la nuit
ber of crackers left in the cupboard”. Nightcrawling presented a different her go ahead and finish the book. had been chosen as one of the finalists
Ms Loquin was drawn to translation challenge in replicating the colloquial She was in email contact with the for the Prix Médicis, and thrilled for
after acting in a number of French and style and poetic lilt of its narration. author throughout the translation Leila Mottley too.
English plays. The novel’s author, Leila Mottley, is process, however, and was able to ask “I was so happy for Leila because she
It was while performing in these, also a published poet, and her writing any questions – about the nuances of wrote this novel with such honesty. I
she says, that she began to notice the is full of lines such as “the way her a phrase, for example. think she put her whole heart into
different translations that existed, and cheekbones bob like apples” and She describes the whole process speaking about Kiara’s life, which is a
how they compared to the original. “adult playgrounds masquerading as “collaborative”. reflection of some people’s reality.
“So I started doing my very first as street corners”. Ms Loquin was also guided by the “For a first novel, I think it is really
amateur translations.
“I have always been fascinated by
This lyricism sits within a convers-
ational cadence, as if Kiara were
author’s poetry output. “Before begin-
ning my translation, I read some of
beautiful and both it and Leila deserve
to be known by the whole literary
JRR Tolkien, so I translated some of speaking directly to the reader, and her poems so that I could take the world. She wrote this when she was
his texts for my friends who didn’t Ms Loquin says that producing some- language in that direction,” she says. 17, with such maturity.”
speak English. I developed a taste for thing grammatically correct while “Another thing I decided with my As for whether Ms Loquin has her
it and I decided to train to make it retaining Leila’s poetry was not easy. editor was the need to adapt the own aspirations to write a novel –
my profession.” “Kiara is an intelligent girl. Even language to our audience. watch this space.
Since finishing her studies, Ms though she no longer goes to school, “The word ‘f***’ appears frequently “I have often felt the ambition to,”
Loquin has co-translated Tolkien’s she thinks about things, she is inter- in the original, but I did not always she admits, “and there are some recent
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and ested in things, and we shouldn’t replace it with a French equivalent efforts, but I have never finished
Middle-earth, and also revised other think differently just because her because in French it would seem them. One day maybe!”

Career change: I qualified as a tour guide and see places with fresh eyes
In our series featuring Sian anyone can guide independent- study in the classroom too. little as you want. The season
people who have Griffiths New directions: ly, if you want to work for It was entirely in French, so tends to run from March to
tourist boards, tour operators I was lucky to be proficient November, and it is lovely to
changed career Bell Hotel PR to or agencies, and/or guide in or I would have struggled. work with people who are
in France, Sian Griffiths tour guide museums, etc, you have to I passed my final exams in happy, on holiday and interest-
Bell, 64, explains how be officially qualified as a December 2017 and achieved ed to learn about the places
Photo: FrenchSoulStudio

Hong Kong hotel PR
gave a foundation for
tour guiding in France
Although I was born in
the UK, I spent most of my
working life in Hong Kong.
I studied languages at Oxford
Polytechnic and in 1986 went
to Hong Kong for what I
thought was just a year or two
– and ended up staying 30!
There, I worked as a PR
manager for a luxury hotel.
My career progressed and
I ended up staying with the
company for 28 years, event-
ually heading up PR for the
entire hotel group. This meant
worldwide travel, and I worked
with journalists, TV crews and
even the famous photographer
Annie Leibovitz. In 1996, I met
decided we would try making guide-conférencier. the licence professionnelle – they are visiting.
Nîmes our permanent home – Someone told me about the guide-conférencier. Sometimes you tour historic
after all, we already knew the Conservatoire National des Once I had received my sites, visit museums and galler-
town well and had made lots Arts et Métiers (CNAM), a all-important carte, I was ies, walk the streets looking at
of friends over the years. France-wide organisation that contacted by the Arles tourist architectural features, or even
my husband Philip Bell. He Although I had studied supports professionals and office as they were looking for go shopping with them.
had come over with the British French at university, I hadn’t offers training, often with the English-speaking guides to The tour can be customised
Army ahead of the 1997 hand- had the opportunity to speak focus on career change. work on river cruises. for different people, and each
over. We married in 1998, it properly for decades, so I It offered tour guide training, I was invited to an interview time I see the sights with
and remained in Hong Kong was delighted to find that it which I was able to complete which, despite applying for an fresh eyes.
until 2016. came back to me easily once part-time in Paris from January English-speaking role, I was I have another string to my
By that time, we were both I arrived, and I was soon able to December 2017. expected to do in French. bow – designing sterling silver
ready for a change of scene. to chat away to our new neigh- The course was challenging, It involved a 20-minute charms of local tourist attrac-
Philip had retired in 1997 and, bours and friends. but I met some brilliant people presentation about the main tions that can be added to a
although I still loved my job, Once we had settled, I began while studying. Lots of them square in Arles and was very bracelet to remind people of the
Hong Kong had changed for to look for something to do. were also changing careers, nerve-wracking! places they have visited. It is a
us since the handover. Lots of Although I had semi-retired, I including a retired architect, a Thankfully, I got through the lovely additional enterprise.
friends had moved away and it wasn’t ready to put my feet up. geologist and a couple of people process, and now work with There is huge demand for
felt time for us to move on too. With my background in hotel who worked for Air France. various river cruise companies, English-speaking guides in this
In 2005, we had bought a PR, I thought about working in The training was tough, but as well as Nîmes tourist office, area, so there is always plenty
holiday apartment in Nîmes, hospitality or tourism. Then I fun. We often had trips out, close to my home, plus various to do. And as I am qualified to
which we loved visiting. We discovered that English-speaking exercises to complete around agencies and tour operators. work in an official capacity, I
considered living in many tour guides are in high demand, Paris, or visits to the Louvre. Tour guiding is a fabulous job am lucky enough to able to
different places but in the end so looked into that. Although There was a lot of theory to as you can do as much or as pick and choose.
 The Connexion
Normandy is ‘Europe’s most desirable region’ for Britons
NORMANDY has won the title of
‘most desirable region’ in Europe in a
leading UK travel magazine’s awards.
And Britons were once again the most
numerous international visitors to
Normandy in 2022 after falling behind
other nationalities for a couple of years.
The Normandy Tourist Board says
it proves naysayers were wrong when
they predicted the British would not
come back after Brexit.
With 3.6 million overnight stays
recorded between January 1, 2022,
and November 3, British visitors
were up 71% on the previous year.
Tourist board staff went to a cere-
mony at the Tower of London to pick
up a prize, voted for by the public, at
the Wanderlust Travel Awards.
Tourist board marketing manager
for English-speaking areas Ben Collier
said the awards are the UK’s “biggest
travel awards”.
He said: “50,000 people voted, many
of them readers of the magazine, and
we got people to vote too via our
social media channels – we are the
only French region to have four social
media platforms in English.
“It was very special to us that the
awards were announced at the Tower
of London, because it was built by
William the Conqueror [Duke of
Normandy].
“We knew that the readers appreci-
ated Normandy because our most
famous monument, Mont-Saint-
Michel, was on the magazine cover a
couple of months back and they told
January 2023
Inset: Ben Collier and colleagues accept a tourism award for Normandy
us it was their best-selling issue of
the year.
“We’re thrilled to have received the
award and to know the Brits still love
Normandy. We share common history ferries in the south of England to
and friendship links as neighbours.
“A few years ago, people were saying
‘they won’t come back, things have
changed’ but we believed that they
would, and 2022 has proved it.
“We’re optimistic for the future of
ferry travel too, so the future’s looking Normandy as it is easily accessible.
bright for the relationship between the
UK and Normandy.”
The Dutch, Germans and Belgians
had been the top visitors since 2018.
“The Brits are back now. A lot of
Britons are getting on the ferry, which
connexionfrance.com
“
Many Britons have
been coming to see the
beautiful new British
Normandy Memorial,
a symbol of the friend-
ship and common
Photo: Refuse to hibernate
history we share
Ben Collier,
Normandy Tourist Board
is great. There are a mixture of reasons: “They tell me ‘we don’t want to fly
there was some chaos in UK airports any more’ and they are enjoying the
in the summer as well as problems in experience. The crossing only takes
Dover, so a lot of people got on the four hours, but your holiday starts
when you set foot onboard.
come to Normandy instead.” “We’re also seeing a lot of people
He added that many Britons who coming with bikes, which is another
have already seen Paris are now keen of the benefits of ferry travel.
to discover other regions such as “The London to Paris Greenway [a
Normandy. Others opt to combine dedicated off-road cycle route] runs
a stay in the capital with visiting through Dieppe, so they can get off
the ferry and take it straight to Paris.
“For example, you can visit Claude But there are also eight other major
Monet’s garden at Giverny in just an greenways in Normandy.
hour’s journey from Paris.” “Many Brits have also been coming
One trend has been more young to see the beautiful new British
visitors, which has been noticeable on Normandy Memorial that opened in
the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe. Ver-sur-Mer, and pay their respects,
French Life 13
because they couldn’t see it during
the pandemic. It’s a new highlight
and a symbol of the friendship and
common history we share.”
He added: “People really like the
relaxed atmosphere in Normandy, its
cafe culture, the food and drink. They
say it feels a slower pace of life, they
can take their time on the terraces to
enjoy life and watch the world go by.”
Asked if he is concerned about the
coming European Entry/Exit System,
he said they have been liaising with the
Normandy ports and they are not too
worried as the ports are well-staffed
with customs officers.
“There will probably be a transition
period, and some delays at first, like
when Brexit first came in, but things
will turn out fine.”
Mr Collier said that, regarding
Brexit, the main issue has been the
fact of second-home owners being
unable to stay for more than 90 days
in 180 visa-free.
“Apart from that, it’s not changed
much for the visitors who come for
a few days or weeks.
“There have been slightly longer
queues on both sides on the ferry but
we’ve not heard anyone say it’s been
a major problem for them.
“There is no international airport
here in Normandy – it’s slow travel, so
people are used to taking their time.”
What’s your favourite region of France
and why? Share your feedback via
news@connexionfrance.com
14 Comment connexionfrance.com
Richard Ogier is an Australian journalist based in Simon Heffer, the renowned political commentator
Strasbourg. He has written on France and Germany
for the LA Times, Canadian Globe and Mail, Liberation, and historian, turns his gaze to French politics
Independent and for his native Australian press.
He joins The Connexion as a regular columnist Simon Heffer is also a columnist for the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs
Bono’s comments on A
ll who have at some stage
learned French will know the
jealousy with which French
people – and not just an intellectual
Macron show the value
elite – guard their tongue.
It is a raison d’être of the Académie
Française to protect this most
immaculate confection. The invasion
of the foreigner’s gaze of words from other languages –
especially the ever-insistent English
of les rosbifs – continues to be
aggressively resisted, though it has
What’s the value in an outsider’s take on a foreign place? Especially always seemed to me that the preva-
if that foreign place is France, when the French do such a fine and lence of English words in modern
exhaustive job of writing about their own culture and politics themselves. French has more to do with the
‘A fresh angle’ would be the journalistic reply, the unfettered response Americans than with the British.
of coming to things free of the insider’s pre-packaged thinking. Whereas it used just to be le week-
Paradoxically, perhaps, in an ‘info-obese’ world of hyper-connectivity, end and le sandwich, French has had
a certain remove can lead to a sort of essentialist, open-eyed clarity. to put up with all sorts of abomina-
The influential singer-songwriter and activist, Bono, was promoting his tions for which there are perfectly
new autobiography on French radio recently. In it, he talks about the world good French words already in
leaders he’s met and worked with, including Emmanuel Macron. existence – can there be an excuse
In Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, Bono describes the French president for le meeting or le brunch? No, of
as more like the boss of a Silicon Valley start-up than a classical political course not. And now there is a new
leader. “He solves problems. He rolls up his sleeves, he’s there,” he told such word: le wokisme.
France’s top-rating breakfast radio programme. “He says, ‘How do we fix Earlier mutations were explained
this?’ His verbal alacrity, his intellectual acuity… frankly, by historical forces: all languages,
this doesn’t happen all the time.” even French, have over the centuries
Those of
Best known as frontman of the Irish supergroup, U2, absorbed words from elsewhere.
Bono added: “Not all the leaders of the world are as us lucky The English language borrowed
smart. They know how to speak, or can be warm or enough thousands of French words after the
charismatic, but you need a certain level of intelli- Norman conquest, then thousands of
gence… To see how he works to solve problems is to live in Latin and Greek ones after the
something to witness.” France renaissance; and once Britain had
This was intriguing for Bono’s French media hosts, imperial possessions in India and the
usually feel
because, they said, “for us,” meaning, it seemed, the Middle East it acquired words from
French, “he’s an enigma”. profoundly kedgeree to kiosk, as indeed, the
But is he? And if he is, should he be? Until the advent marked by French did from the Levant.
of the peripatetic Nicolas Sarkozy — a “spinning top”, However, French is now threatened
Bono said on France Inter — there was almost always the place, by a political force: gender neutrality
a sense of enigma shrouding the office of the French its depth, and its main opponent in language is
president, and thus its incumbent. Brigitte Macron, the nation’s First Lady.
detail and
From the haughty Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, with his Mme Macron, a former literature
Auvergne family chateau — 1,200m² amid 15 hectares diversity teacher who met her husband when
of park, French garden, prairie and wood — to ‘Le beau she led a theatre workshop in the
François’ Mitterrand, a byzantine, proudly inscrutable potentate of the left. school where he was a pupil, has
He orchestrated his own assassination attempt (the Observatory Affair), attacked gender-neutral pronouns –
had a secretive second family, and dined illegally on a pigeon-like ortolan as with those Anglophones who iden-
under a white cloth days before he passed, the bird drowned whole in tify themselves as ‘non-binary’ and
Armagnac. It was eaten bones and all, a feast memorably evoked in a like to be referred to as ‘they’/ ‘them’.
famous Michael Paterniti Esquire article called ‘The Last Meal’. The tyranny of wokeism in the
Almost 20 years ago, the English historian Perry Anderson — facing Anglosphere ensured that anyone in
down the challenge of writing about France amid the mass of French America or Britain who referred to
self-description — rued that there were already more than 3,000 books such linguistic absurdities was
on De Gaulle written in French, some 200 on Mitterrand. howled down by the Twitter mob;
Many were “dross and mere logomachy”, he conceded, but “statistical Mme Macron is made of stronger
rigour and analytic intelligence” distinguished much of the writing.
The answer he proffered to the foreign observer’s dilemma, was the
stuff. A year ago she attacked France’s
dictionary Le Petit Robert for includ-
“advantages of estrangement” — the “regard lointain” of anthropologist ing the gender-neutral pronoun ‘iel’
Claude Lévi-Strauss. In simpler terms, the value-add is of a different as a substitute for either ‘il’ or ‘elle’.
vantage point. After her intervention it became clear
Those of us lucky enough to live in France usually feel profoundly that matters had become worse, with
marked by the place, its depth, detail and diversity. Move on, as I did to ‘iel’ becoming the ‘formal’ version of
Munich for seven years, and you come to realise that the way the French ‘ol’, ‘yul’ and ‘ul’.
do even the stuff of daily life — food, wine, lighting a shopfront — has left Undeterred, she has returned to the
its imprint, becoming part of one’s internal prism, through which every fray, after an even worse construct in
other ‘elsewhere’ is now viewed. these gender wars manifested itself.
What one sees through the prism is not always positive, of course. The In written communications the left-
incapacity of the ‘individualist’ French to find and mobilise collective solu- wing city council in Paris, and appar-
tions is part of the reason for France’s relative decline as a leading light on ently also the Sorbonne, which ought
public policy (in industry, industrial relations, energy, education, health, the to know better, have started to apply
welfare state). Other countries — Britain, Austria, Italy — don’t have the influ- gender neutrality to all sorts of words
ence of yesterday, either, but for different reasons. France, with the glories that hitherto displayed characteristics
of its history, is still inclined to think that solutions lie in looking backwards of masculinity or femininity.
to even the recent past. Germany, for obvious reasons, does not. Thus, whereas I might once have
Listening to Bono’s comments felt like a light bulb moment. You could wished to address each of you as
almost hear his French hosts drawing in air. ‘cher lecteur’, were I under the woke
Contemplate the cast of presidents since De Gaulle, alongside the difficul- tyranny I should have to use the
ties the country currently faces, and it’s hard not to conclude it could do form ‘cher.e.s lecteur.rice.s’, thereby
worse — usually has — than back an intellectually brilliant problem-solver, seeking to include both existing
his sleeves up, alive in the moment. forms and supposedly neutralising
them by making them plural. To sug-
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The Connexion
The First Lady
is right to resist
woke assault on
French language
gest that whoever devised such a
ludicrous formulation needs to get
out more hardly begins to describe
the absurdity. One contact aptly
described it as like ‘acne on a page’.
In seeking to kill feminine versions
of words the French wokistes are
following an Anglophone precedent
– the acting profession, except in the
Oscars, has long despised the word
‘actress’ and instead calls women
‘actors’; and it is a long time since
anyone wrote the words ‘authoress’
or ‘poetess’ with a straight face.
Nobody in the Anglosphere
appears to have noticed – yet – that
the female simply adopted the histor-
ically male form. In France, thanks
to the greater care and precision
traditionally taken over the language,
this has been noticed, hence the
contortions now gone through to
pretend there is no distinction
between a lecteur and a lectrice.
These concocted forms are mad
“
One does not need to
be a blue in tooth and
claw reactionary to
defend a language that
works perfectly well
enough when they are written: guid-
ance appears to be lacking, so far, on
how one is supposed to pronounce
them if one tries to adapt the spoken
word to the ordinances of woke.
Mme Macron has said she feels she
speaks for the silent majority in
France, and we should not doubt her.
One does not need to be a blue in
tooth and claw reactionary – she cer-
tainly is not – to defend a language
that works perfectly well and makes
perfect sense to all but the smallest
minority of fanatics who insist on
imposing their view on the vast
majority of the population.
And Mme Macron, in declaring her
view, spoke with the common sense
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January 2023
of a professional teacher of long
standing, saying that it was hard
enough as it was to learn the ‘beauti-
ful’ French language, and that it
would be mad to pile further
complexities on top of an already
complex subject.
Unsurprisingly, Mme Macron has
found an immediate ally in the
Académie Française, which rightly
and immediately spotted the bogus
American cultural influence in this
political movement, and denounced
it. The Rassemblement National has
also sounded off about a “grotesque
and mendacious ideology” starting
to make itself apparent in the matter
of male and female distinctions in
French life.
This has been going on in the
Anglosphere for some time: what
France now has to look forward to is
spectating upon a fissure on the left,
as groups supporting feminists take
on groups supporting transgender
rights activists, the former claiming
(with some justification) that the
latter wish to eliminate women who
identify as women from the debate
altogether. Language, it seems, is
where it begins.
France has long had a political
fringe that draws its inspiration not
from currents and concerns in
domestic French politics, but from
those in a wider world. It is precisely
because these matters are usually
quite arcane that those who obsess
about them tend to make little con-
nection with the French electorate.
If France is lucky, it may avoid these
navel-gazing debates altogether. After
all, its political class, led by Mme
Macron’s husband, has a great deal
more serious things to worry about.
But I fear that her valiant attempt to
nip it in the bud may not work
entirely: we have not, in all likeli-
hood, heard the end of le wokisme.
n Brigitte Macron’s comments
came during an interview with
L’Obs magazine in December.
The previous Education Minister,
Jean-Michel Blanquer, banned
teachers from using gender-neutral
writing in classrooms in 2021,
saying dots in the middle of words
are a barrier to comprehension.
 The Connexion January 2023
Pension reform ‘will worsen inequality’
Raising the age of
Photo: Michaël Zemmour
retirement is not
necessary and will
create more
inequality, lecturer
and economist Michaël
Zemmour tells Martin Greenacre
UNIONS say they will call for strike
action starting in January if the French
government pushes ahead with its plans
to raise the retirement age to 65.
The reform was due to be presented in
December, but this has been delayed
until January 10. The bill is set to go
before MPs this spring before potential-
ly being implemented from the summer.
President Macron said during a recent
TV interview: “The financial burden is
huge and will continue to grow in the
years to come. The only lever we have
is to work longer.” He pledged to raise
the retirement age to 65 as part of his
recent re-election campaign.
However Michaël Zemmour, an
economics lecturer at Université Paris 1
Panthéon-Sorbonne, says there is only
a “small deficit” forecast for the years to
come and the system is not in danger.
He believes this is being used as a
“pretext” for pushing through a reform
that the government wants for other
reasons: namely, to reduce public spend-
ing to compensate for cutting taxes on
businesses, and to increase productivity
by making people work longer.
“As these reasons would not go down
well, the government is citing a third
reason – the threat to the pensions sys-
tem – but this is not a serious reason.”
In a report published in September,
the Conseil d’orientation des retraites
advisory body concluded spending on
pensions as a percentage of GDP would
remain stable in the next five years,
from 13.8% in 2021 to 13.9% in 2027.
It should then increase from 2028 to
2032, to between 14.2% and 14.7%.
However, this is due to remain stable,
or decrease, between 2032 and 2070.
It is predicted the ageing population
will be counterbalanced by the effects
of previous reforms raising the retire-
ment age, and by the smaller improve-
ment to pensioners’ living conditions
Why the winter fun is only just starting
by Samantha David
As the Christmas trees are stripped
of their glitter and the tinsel is packed
away, it’s tempting to give in to a
gloomy day-after-the-party feeling.
It is easy to see only a vista of endless
grey winter skies with no more bank
holidays until Easter. But that’s a mistake.
Here in France, before you can say
‘snowman’, it’ll be the spring school
holidays and time to go skiing. Youpi!
The government has thoughtfully
spread the dates of the holidays across
February and March to avoid too much
of a peak season on the peaks, if you’ll
excuse the pun – which is a good thing
because last season there were more
than 30 million French ‘skier visits’ to
the country’s ski resorts.
And that’s not counting another 14
million ‘skier visits’ by foreigners.
A ‘skier visit’ is a person who spends
all or part of the day skiing at a resort.
Pre-Covid the combined figures were
around 55 million. French ski resorts
connexionfrance.com
unemployed or economically inactive,
according to France Stratégie.
“Retirement protects from insecurity,”
Dr Zemmour said. “Most people who
retire lose spending power but for the
poorest 40%, their income increases,
because they acquire a status.”
Among the reasons for these high
inactivity rates are the health toll taken
by difficult working conditions and
Photo: Neydt Stock_shutterstock
businesses not hiring older workers.
According to European Commission
data, the average French person leaves
Protesters in September called
on France to ‘increase wages,
not the retirement age’
the labour market aged 62.3, compared
to 63.8 across the EU.
Dr Zemmour says delaying retirement
to a time when people are much less
compared to working-age people. capable of remaining active would
“We are still yet to see the full effects transform the way it is experienced.
of the previous reforms in France,” “In France, political life and volunteer
he said. A 2010 reform raised the work depend on retired people, as does
minimum legal retirement age from childcare. Retirement is no longer a
60 to 62, and raised the age when time to do nothing.”
anybody can claim a full pension, if He said this trend dates back to
they have not worked the required François Mitterrand’s decision to lower
amount of time, from 65 to 67. the retirement age to 60, and is linked
In 2014, the minimum number of to high rates of employment among
trimestres for which you need to have women, and low rates of part-time work,
been paying into the system to claim meaning it often falls to pensioners
a full pension was gradually raised to run associations, sports clubs and
from 166 (41.5 years), for people other groups. According to the Institut
born between 1955 and 1957, to 172 Montaigne think tank, 60% of mayors
(43 years) for those born from 1973. and 40% of departmental councillors
It had previously been 37.5 years in France are over 60.
until an earlier reform in 1993. As well as advantages in terms of
The average retirement age will reach health and income, there are macro-
almost 63 by 2030, and 64 in 2040, economic benefits to maintaining the
without further reform, according to retirement age at 62, the researcher said.
a 2018 report from the government “Pensioners are better protected from
think tank France Stratégie. the fluctuations of the economy, and
“People who retired 10 years ago from crises, so they maintain a certain
will have a longer retirement than level of consumption, which can soften
those who stop working today. Since the impact of a crisis.”
the 2010s, the increase in life expectancy Rather than changing the retirement
is smaller than the changes to the age, he believes any reform should
retirement age,” Dr Zemmour said. address gender inequalities due to the
Raising the retirement age could also fact that people who have not worked
entrench inequality between those who their entire adult lives, often women,
are in and out of work, he added. can end up with measly pensions.
“Those who work until they are 62 In a press release published in
will work a couple of years longer, but December, the CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-
the 30% to 40% of people who are no CGC, CFTC, Unsa, Solidaires, and FSU
longer in work by the time they retire unions, as well as student organisations,
will experience a longer period of warned of “a major social conflict”.
economic insecurity.” They announced their intention to
In 2018, for every 10 French people organise a first round of strikes and
aged 60, four were in work, three protests “in January if the government
were retired, and three were either digs its heels in over its project”.
really are winter wonderlands complete require you to strap your feet on to a
with twinkly lights, and snow-covered pair of slidey planks.
slopes. Skiing holidays are great for families,
At high altitudes, it’s often beautifully too, because resorts offer nursery facil-
sunny, and who said you actually have ities, and children of all ages can be
to ski? Interestingly enough, statistics enrolled in ski school – even tiny tots.
show that skiing is not always the main You can see them in crocodile
reason for squeezing into a ski suit. formation scooting along behind their
Half of people aged 15-25 go skiing instructor on teeny-weeny little skis.
to enjoy the scenery. Another 8% said Seeing as this is France, schools
their main motivation was cheese organise subsidised ski trips, and in
fondue, with only 16% saying they companies employing more than 50
wanted to learn to ski. people, so does the comité d’entreprise.
Resorts have cottoned on to this, For those lucky employees, a skiing
offering all kinds of other attractions. weekend including transport, accom-
As well as the traditional hot chocolate modation, meals and ski passes can
and après-ski indulgences, you can start at less than €100 per person.
explore a snow maze or build an igloo, People living within a couple of hours’
ice skate under the stars, watch the ski drive can take a coach and go skiing for
slopes from an open-air Jacuzzi, go to the day with prices starting at around
the gym, or get a massage at the spa. €50 for transport, a snack and a ski pass.
There are rides on dog sleds, horse- Ah yes, when you live in France,
drawn carriages, and snowmobiles. January is not the end of winter
You can go swimming, watch a movie, wonderland, but just a chance to draw
or shop. There are also endless film and breath and prepare for more glittering,
music festivals to enjoy, none of which sparkling winterland fun!
Comment 15
Nabila Ramdani is an award-winning
French-Algerian journalist who specialises
in French politics and the Arab world.
Her articles feature in the French national
press as well as internationally.
She is a regular columnist in The Connexion.
‘Adults only’ restaurant
outrage is a case of
faulty communication
Ask any restaurateur
what the worst part of
their business is, and
most will reply with two
words: rude customers.
They do not differentiate
between types – aggres-
sive, nasty people come
in all shapes and sizes,
Photo: Facebook
and, to misquote Jean-
Paul Sartre, all of them
can be hell.
This truism has come
A restaurant in Alsace was criticised
into sharp focus after a
for its blunt sign banning children
celebrated winstub – a
traditional dining house in the eastern Alsace region of France – post-
ed an abrupt note on its front door reading: “No children, thank you”.
There was fury and claims of discrimination at the Michelin-
recommended Winstub Zum Pfifferhüs in Ribeauvillé, particularly
from parents who were visiting the pretty market town in freezing
cold December and hoping for some warmth, as well as decent food.
There is nothing particularly sophisticated about
the Zum Pfifferhus menu. On the contrary, the
emphasis is on large sausages, roast potatoes and If someone
– as with all restaurants on France’s border with has had too
Germany – lashings of sauerkraut.
In which case, it would be logical to assume that much to
kids were welcome. drink, ask
This was certainly the feeling of one outraged
client, who said her shocked family, which included them to
a couple of youngsters, were in tears when they leave, and
were asked to leave, having not seen the sign on
the door telling children to stay away. if a child
The woman was so outraged that she even is being
threatened to go to the police, or at least make a
civil complaint to the judicial authorities. similarly
The good news for such complainants is that it is obnoxious,
illegal for a restaurant to refuse clients because of
the presence of children, just as they cannot be then do
turned away for their race or religion. the same
In this case, the Zum Pfifferhüs owners admitted
it was only unruly children they were interested in
barring, and not those who sit quietly and eat their food.
In which case, why didn’t they just let everybody in, and only take
action if there was clear evidence of genuinely bad behaviour?
Alsatian winstubs are about fine wine as much as food, and there
is no doubt that excess alcohol is what normally causes customers
to disgrace themselves. If somebody has had too much to drink,
ask them to leave, and if a child is being similarly obnoxious, then
do the same.
The truth is that most restaurants now have everything necessary
to keep children happy, not least colouring books and boxes full of
crayons or felt-tip pens. Nobody likes to see a child concentrating
intensely on an electronic device showing cartoons all the time,
but this is, of course, an easy way of maintaining tranquillity too.
Perhaps Zum Pfifferhüs’s biggest mistake was one of communica-
tion. The handwritten ‘No children’ sign on the door was almost
impossible to see, and thus likely to have been ignored by those
entering. Being excluded from anywhere is always unpleasant, but
when rejection comes unexpectedly and in front of other diners,
then the hurt and humiliation are intensified. Zum Pfifferhüs did
acknowledge this in the end, and removed the sign.
‘Adults only’ restaurants have an almost seedy ring to them, but
legitimate ones do exist in various parts of the world, as do ‘adults
only’ hotels (including in France).
They make it very clear in all their sales literature, and their book-
ing procedures, that they offer a mature ambience, ideally suited for
romance or business. It isn’t because they don’t like children, it’s sim-
ply that they can guarantee there will be no crying babies, or restless
toddlers racing around. It’s all about common courtesy – if everybody
can be clear about it, then there is absolutely no reason for anger.
 16 Letters
Do you agree? Hung parliament could be a big opportunity
by Nick Inman
France’s constitution is generous
in the powers it gives the president,
but he cannot do exactly as he wants.
As in most democracies, he has to
work with a legislature, the Assemblée
Nationale, that makes the laws.
The founders of the Fifth Republic
assumed the party of the president
would also hold a majority in the
assemblée so that the institutions of the
state would work together to imple-
ment the policies the people want.
It has occasionally happened, how-
ever, that the presidency and parlia-
mentary majority have belonged to
opposing parties, forcing them to
‘cohabit’ and get legislation through
by horse trading.
For more than 50 years, France had
two main parties – one right, one left
– which took turns holding power
and which worked together, after a
fashion, when they had to. Then along
came an outsider candidate, Emmanuel
Macron. In 2017, he ran a stunning,
mould-breaking campaign to win both
the presidential and legislative elections
while diminishing the status of the two
established parties. Macron ruled as
They said it …
Urbanites have a Walt Disney
perception of the animal kingdom
Jean-Claude Michéa
The philosopher on people’s disconnection with nature, in Le Figaro
France is not declining any
more than other European
countries, but it has an
exceptionally high
awareness of its own decline
Michel Houellebecq
The controversial novelist in Front Populaire magazine
During World War Two, being
homosexual, of Jewish origin and
liberal would have sentenced me
to death three times. Today I am
free in front of you – that is the
European project
Xavier Bettel
Luxembourg’s prime minister at the European Parliament
We have the same culture of terroir
Niall Burgess
Irish ambassador reaches out to Occitanie, in La Dépêche
Being a tradition is not enough to
make bullfighting honourable
Michel Onfray
The philosopher, in Le Figaro, weighs in on debate to outlaw bullfighting
All these different tongues
speaking with one voice is
still incredible
Bono
U2 frontman in praise of the European Union on France Inter
The ideology of progress has
brought us to the brink of extinction
Jeremy Rifkin
US economist and sociologist in La Nouvelle République media
connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023
A majority of députés (MPs) can be tive branch of government has got
temporarily united in their dislike of too big for its boots, including the
one of Macron’s plans for the country UK and the European Union.
but no one can agree on a positive, If people go to the trouble of elect-
long-term alternative to them. ing members of parliament, are they
Macron and his prime minister, not entitled to expect them to do
Elisabeth Borne, must feel they are in more than murmur, grumble and nod
a corner. If they want to get any con- through the policies of a supremo?
troversial legislation through, they will The French political class is going to
either have to compromise or invoke have to find a path forward and, in so
Article 49.3 of the constitution, which doing, it might be able to lead the way
gives them power to override a hung in reinvigorating democracy.
parliament. Such an autocratic act will Let us hope that in these days of
not do Macron’s reputation any good. personality politics, members of
Photo: Jo Bouroch_Shutterstock
The alternative is possibly worse. parliament everywhere perform their
The president could dissolve an role of scrutinising the work of the
intransigent parliament and declare executive with wisdom.
fresh elections – but then the right- National legislative assemblies can
wing Rassemblement National might be, and should be, places for vigorous
just win the absolute majority it so debate in which all shades of opinion
badly desires and that would be even are aired and prime ministers and
Emmanuel Macron lost his overall majority in parliament in June 2022 more catastrophic for Macron than presidents are forced to listen. Dissent
the current mess. and division are not forces that neces-
president and his assemblée did his the Assemblée Nationale. No one did. There might, however, be a silver sarily weaken democracy; on the con-
bidding. His opponents might not Instead of a two-party system, there lining. The French are finally asking: trary, when applied with a construct-
have liked it, but at least things is now a fragmentation. what is the purpose of parliament if it ive attitude, they can make it stronger.
were clear. Herein lies a problem for French is no longer, as it has too often been,
Last year, Macron tried – and failed democracy. Whereas once there was the dutiful servant of the reigning Do you agree or disagree with
– to repeat the same trick. He won always a clear majority either in president? Nick Inman? Tell us why at
the presidency a second time but favour of or in opposition to the pres- This is a question that applies to all news@connexionfrance.com
his party did not win the vote for ident, now there are loose coalitions. other democracies where the execu-
Boules fun French dream turned Road safety
into a DIY nightmare group gets
YOUR article on a glow-in-
the-dark boules ball (November
sums wrong
edition) highlighted the most
useless piece of sports equip-
ment ever but it was irresistible. I have lived in France for six occurs after building work
If we play after dark, the years, the first three of which has been accepted) but no I write regarding your online
courts are floodlit as, if not, I spent suing the previous one I spoke to, including my article entitled ‘Increase to
we cannot find our boules. English owners from whom I appalled builders, knew of a 90km/h limit ruled illegal in
The only advantage is that the bought my property directly. private décennale case success- north-west French department’.
Photo: kojoku_Shutterstock
“bombers” are a little less likely My grounds for suing lay in fully pursued. It states that the safety associa-
to be violent in case they the gradual emergence of the I had some legal experience, tion which brought the legal
damage the CochoLED. DIY nightmares one hears though none relevant to prop- challenge, “estimates that driving
I bought one and it has pro- about when buying abroad: erty, and knew that disputes at 90km/h rather than 80km/h
vided more than its cost in botched wiring and plumbing, resolve along predictable lines. saves a second per kilometre”.
hilarity and enjoyment! rotten roof timbers, and damp Armed with that knowledge, I This is nonsense. The saving
James PATTERSON, by email – all concealed behind new eventually forced a satisfactory is five seconds/km – five times
plasterboard and paint. settlement without going any- saving claimed. This adds up to
Heating omission What to do? I had a good
local building team undertak-
where near a courtroom.
The cost? Only €170 – a
a substantial difference of 7.5
minutes over a 90km journey.
I read with interest your
online article on the best heat-
ing planned refurbishments.
I decided to continue the
French avocat’s fee. He simply
approved my proposed open-
Paul DINSDALE, Orne
ing options but you do not works and take legal action. ing letter to the vendors, every Editor’s note: The group said
mention infrared panels. They
are much more efficient (some
“Pas de chance”, my French
neighbours muttered, and they
word of which I drafted myself.
The moral of this tale? Try
it was based on real-life studies
of journey time gains from the
say 10 times) as other methods, wished me “Bon courage!”. DIY legals and beware of raised limit: you do not travel at
including heat pumps – and
installation costs are far lower.
I swotted up on assurance
décennale (which guarantees
cowboy builders.
Name and address
90kph the whole time as there are
‘unpredictable road events’ and
Owen Parkes, Romagne the repair of damage that withheld on request traffic slows near built-up areas.
Dans le passé – 10, 50 and 100 years ago
january, 2013 January, 1973 January, 1923
Etch A Sketch inventor dies Paris Peace Accords signed Occupation of the Ruhr
Photo: Film by Flynn_Shutterstock
French inventor André On January 27, the Paris Peace January 11 saw 60,000 French and
Cassagnes, best known Accords were signed in the French capital Belgian troops occupy the Ruhr region
for creating the Etch A by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, of Germany in response to its failure to
Sketch, died on January the Republic of Vietnam, the Republic of pay reparations for World War One.
16. Instantly recognisable, South Vietnam and the United States, French troops arrived in Essen at 04:45,
the red-framed drawing toy worked by bringing an end to US involvement in the meeting no resistance from locals, and
turning two white knobs. These moved a Vietnam War. The Accords saw all over the next few days took control of all
Frederic Legrand - COMEO_
stylus that displaced aluminium powder remaining US forces withdraw, but did of the area’s mining and industrial towns.
behind a grey screen, thus forming lines. not stop fighting between the three By the end of the week, there were
More than 100 million Etch A Sketches remaining powers in Vietnam. 100,000 French soldiers in the Ruhr.
Shutterstock
have been sold worldwide. Negotiations had begun in 1968, led Germany’s then-chancellor Wilhelm
Cassagnes was born in Paris and initially by US national security adviser Henry Cuno called for “passive resistance”,
worked in a bakery. An allergy to flour Kissinger and North Vietnam politburo which resulted in the collapse of the
saw him change career and he developed member Lê Đức Thọ. They were jointly German mark and led to uncontrolled
the Etch A Sketch while working as an
electrician, calling his invention l’Ecran
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but Lê
Đức Thọ refused on the grounds peace
hyperinflation. By autumn 1923, a loaf of
bread was worth tens of thousands of
Magique (The Magic Screen). He was also had not been attained. Provisions of the marks. The ensuing difficulties laid the
a renowned kite designer in France and agreement were immediately broken by foundations for radical movements led
invented several other mechanical games. both North and South Vietnamese forces. by figures including Adolf Hitler.
 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com Letters 17

The Connexion letters pages are Is your tax and financial planning
sponsored by ready for 2023? w w w. b l e v i n s f r a n k s . c o m

Security hitch Plea for tighter licence rules
Following a recent article
in The Independent on National
Insurance (NI) contributions,
I attempted to check my status
using the UK Government
Gateway website.
In attempting to create new
access codes, I was initially
asked for my full name, date
of birth and NI number. I also
supplied an email address and
phone number to receive
confirmation codes.
On then accessing the web-
site, I was asked to provide
details from a UK passport,
as well as information from
either/or a UK photo driving
licence, P60, credit application
information, etc.
As a retiree for the past seven
years and resident of France
for 27 years, I now only have
a French driving licence. This
makes it very difficult (or even
impossible) for me to access
the website, which I find both
frustrating and ridiculous.
Have other readers had simi-
lar problems with websites?
Douglas STEWART, by email
Editor’s note: A DWP spokes-
woman said they understand
You recently asked for feedback on whether a driving licence
should be for life, as it is in France.
The UK has one of the lowest rates of road traffic accidents in
the world (corrected for confounding variables such as traffic
density). This is partly due to the DVLA’s medical standards for
fitness to drive, which are checked when licences are renewed and
when seeing a doctor for a significant medical condition.
There are also rules in France for medical fitness to drive, but to
me they do not seem as comprehensive as the UK rules; they are
noted when applying for the first driving licence, but seem to be
neglected afterwards.
A friend was assessed as needing a cataract operation, which
should be a red flag for driving. Yet neither her ophthalmologist
nor optician told her to stop. She also had significant cognitive
impairment, another reason to stop driving (although this may
not have been known to the medical services), and suffered from
suspected blackouts. However, she continued driving until she
became too scared to leave the house due to frailty.
Another friend’s mother was still driving despite rapidly pro-
gressing dementia, until I suggested she should stop.
Thus, I am wholly in favour of limiting the duration of a permis
de conduire, along with greater clarification, awareness and atten-
tion to medical fitness to drive. The DVLA has a webpage to
inform on people who are driving against medical advice, and
I am astonished the French do not have an equivalent, although
there is advice to phone the police about dangerous driving.
Our visually impaired friend changed her dented, scraped Renault
Clio for a Twingo. I am now very careful around these cars.
Simon CROXSON, by email
Let off steam or share a point
Share of view on an aspect of French life
letters@connexionfrance.com or write to:
your Email:
The Connexion, Le Grande Bretagne,
You can debate and comment on articles
You said via our Facebook page: facebook.com/
TheConnexion. Here is a selection of recent
it …
popular subjects... You can find the original
articles at connexionfrance.com
Unpronounceable French place names has the same level of competence and regular
“Nieul-sur-Mer. Despite Brits learning how to tests would help reduce these accidents” TJ
say ‘fauteuil’, the locals say ‘kneel sur mer’” AT “Will we support those who are isolated and can’t
“Pineuilh is tricky for many non-French speakers, renew their licence? Not forgetting that they can buy
coming out with something like ‘pinwee’” MP a 30km/h vehicle without need of a licence” KE
“Maybe twenty-somethings – head exams” PR
“As in any language, words are only difficult if
one hasn’t learnt the sounds the letters of the ‘Going to the dentist in France is a lottery’
alphabet, and groups thereof, make” PWK “Most won’t do preventative care – ‘Only ring if
“Just come to Alsace where even the French (if you are in pain,’ said the last dentist I visited. And
they’re not local) can’t pronounce the names” KH you can’t see a hygienist in my area at all!” IG
“Cycled through Oucques – thought immed- “My dentist in Montmorillon is great. I just got
iately of Terry Pratchett when told it was back from having two new crowns fitted and
pronounced ‘ook’” HK my mutuelle will pay 99% of the bill!” JH
“Try any of the Breton (and Flemish) villages “Dentists in England are also variable. When
and communes” LW dissatisfied, cut your losses and shop around...
Should older drivers have health checks? wherever you are” KR
“I don’t think it should be a standard Town hall cannot have a nativity crèche
requirement nor age-related but something “Yet you see roadside shrines/crosses every-
that is generated by gendarmes following where. Huge amount of hypocrisy” NT
dangerous or erratic driving” BH “Nativity scenes don’t have any place in government
“We are not children – we and most older people buildings. Churches are the place for them” PW
have regular health tests anyway” LT
“Roadside shrines are nothing to do with the
“Tell that to the family of the people killed by state. That’s the difference. France isn’t
an 80-year-old going the wrong way up the anti-religion, it just doesn’t want to take sides,
N145 in the Creuse last year. Not everyone or be seen to be taking sides...” SM

that a UK national insurance

number and UK passport are
usually sufficient but if you
cannot use the ‘Gateway’ there
are alternative ways to obtain
a UK state pension forecast.
The forecast will tell you how
much you will currently be enti-
tled to at state pension age as well
as showing you how many years
you are fully paid up for and any
gaps or partially-paid years.
Assuming you will reach pen-
sion age in more than 30 days,
you can apply by sending a form
(see tinyurl.com/SP-forecast).
You can also telephone the
Fu­ture Pension Centre and
request a forecast to be posted to
you (0044 191 218 3600,
Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 18:00).
 
views! 30Please
av. Grande Bretagne, 98000 Monaco
include your name and department of France
or country where you live. Letters used may be edited
for space and sense; the Editor’s decision is final.
Letters received may be used online and/or in print.
Correction Hunt ‘safety’
Gary Grant’s letter in Your contributor David
December’s The Connexion Porter (‘Hunting feels safer in
(‘Residency status of young France’, Connexion, November)
Britons’) was edited to mistak- has got to be kidding.
enly imply information about According to the French
the DCEM (document de circu- Biodiversity Agency (OFB),
lation pour étranger mineur) there have been 3,495 hunting
should have been forthcoming ‘accidents’ since 1999, of which
during his family’s application 436 were fatal. These figures
for residency in 2016. Rather, don’t include ‘incidents’, usually
it would have been appropriate involving the death of domestic/
during their exchange for a farm animals and damage to
Withdrawal Agreement property. I should like to know
residency card in 2020. equivalent UK figures.
Some of the more shocking
accidents involve children. A

child of six was killed near

 

Amiens in 2013. In the same

 
 


year, a 14-year-old boy killed
 




his father accidentally and then

himself in remorse.
   Does this sound ‘safe’?

Here to listen
    Michèle BAILEY, Eguilles
 
Baguette FYI




        Your online article on order- We are Cancer Support France, supporting English-speaking

      ing the perfect baguette, while
 very interesting, claimed the people in France who are touched by cancer.
   tradition “is made from flour
SIRET 48003796900015

We offer free, confidential support for English-speaking people throughout France

but is left to rest longer when
touched in any way by cancer. Our highly trained volunteers offer emotional,
it comes out of the oven”.
A tradition must meet govern- language and practical help. CSF trained volunteers can guide you towards the
ment guidelines established information you need.
in 1993 limiting the use of
additives and forbidding the To find out more about our support, please contact us.
freezing of the bread during its
manufacture. It must also be Email: helpline@cancersupportfrance.org
left to ferment much longer Call: 0800 240 200 Web: www.cancersupportfrance.org
www.skyinfrance.co.uk than an ordinary baguette.
Brad BECK, by email

CSF Press Advert Male 129x170.indd 1 06/05/2022 14:05

 18 Your Questions
Q& A
Readers’
questions
answered
Send your queries about life here to Liv Rowland
by email to questions@connexionfrance.com
Are there rules on advertising break lengths?
Are there no laws on the length of
advertising breaks in France? Watching
a World Cup game on TF1, the whole
half-time break was adverts. L.V.
There are indeed rules on how long
advertising breaks can last, and they are
enforced by the French media watchdog,
the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel.
Private networks are allowed to show
an average of nine minutes of adverts per
hour over the course of the day and up
to 12 minutes in any given hour.
TF1 is private, even though it is Channel
1, following its privatisation in 1987.
Football’s half-time breaks being 15
minutes, this allows it to broadcast
uninterrupted adverts and return just
before the second half, whereas British
viewers would expect to have at least some
analysis in that time.
We tested it for the Belgium v Canada
match: there were more than 13 minutes
of continuous advertising, but this includ-
ed several ‘sponsors’ of the programme.
The legal texts differentiate between
advertising and sponsorship.
The rules are stricter for public channels
Why does post office care about the
value of items I am sending abroad?
Whenever I go to the post office to
send a letter or small parcel to the UK,
I am quizzed about the contents and
value. Why is La Poste bothered about
what leaves France? Is there an export
duty that I don’t know about? P.T.
It is important when sending a package
outside of the EU to fill in all the correct
paperwork, so that neither you nor the
recipient will have surprise fees to pay.
This information is to help customs
officials in the destination country identify
the item and correctly apply local fees or
restrictions.
When sending goods to a non-EU coun-
try, you will need to fill in three CN22 (for
Help to rent an armchair for a disabled person
IS there a place to rent an armchair
suitable for a disabled person in the
Macon area? My brother-in-law has a
reclining armchair in the UK and I was
hoping to hire a similar chair for him
here in France. A raised toilet seat and
walking frame would also help. A.H.
While it is relatively easy to rent a wheel-
chair in France, there are fewer options
when it comes to armchairs.
We called around several businesses in
Saône-et-Loire that provide medical equip-
ment, and only one offers riser recliner
chairs for rent – a fauteuil releveur in
French, an armchair designed to be
FUTURE QUESTIONS
- SEND IN YOURS...
Questions@connexionfrance.com
connexionfrance.com
such as France 2 and France 3. They can-
not broadcast more than six minutes of
adverts per hour on average over the
course of a day, or more than eight min-
utes in any given hour. Adverts are also
banned on public television after 20:00.
The rules are similar in the UK. Ofcom,
the UK’s communications regulator, states
that channels 3 to 5 can broadcast up to
an average of seven minutes of adverts per
hour in any one day, and nine minutes for
other channels.
In any one hour, there can be up to 12
minutes of adverts, or eight minutes for
channels 3 to 5 during prime periods of
18:00-23:00 and 07:00-09:00.
The difference is French channels will
often use the 12-minute allowance at once.
goods up to €380) or CN23 (for goods
over €380) customs declarations, plus a
‘pro forma’ invoice.
If sending the parcel to the UK, this will
allow British officials to enforce customs
rules, and apply VAT for goods from £39,
and customs duty from £135.
While posting documents abroad usually
requires no paperwork, this will depend on
the rules of the country you are posting to.
In the UK and the US, for example,
books, magazines and posters are categor-
ised as goods, whereas in South Africa
they are considered documents. Even if
you appear to be sending a simple letter,
the postal worker might wish to verify that
the envelope does not contain any goods.
comfortable for long periods and to help
users get in and out of the chair.
Santé Services (sante-services.fr) has
several locations in Saône-et-Loire.
There, a chair will cost €23.20 per week
to rent, plus an additional fee if you have it
delivered. They also offer basic walking
frames for €2.21 per week, and versions
with wheels for slightly more.
These are easier to track down than
armchairs, however, and we found
other local providers such as Autun
Paramédical where they could be rented
for the same price.
It is not possible to rent a raised toilet
seat because of hygiene considerations.
Is it possible to be a member
of the US’s Medicare and the
French healthcare system?
To receive the next issue at home... subscribe at connexionfrance.com by January 12
TheThe
Connexion
Connexion January
Xxxx 2020
2023
Do people still celebrate
their name days in France?
I’ve heard people celebrate their saint name
days in France. Where does this tradition come
from and are you expected to send friends your
good wishes on their name day? J.H.
If you have ever consulted a calendar in France,
you will probably have noticed that there is a name
attached to each day.
As you say, this is the name of a saint, and if you
happen to share the name which appears on the
Photo: Shutterstock_Hasbi Sahin
calendar on a given day, it means it is ta fête
(your celebration/name day). Our 2023 France calendars, complete with saint
While this might seem like people in France get names, are available at shop.connexionfrance.com
to celebrate their birthday twice, it is not such a big
deal, at least not anymore. of the 20th century relaxed this rule slightly, it was
The tradition stems from the practice in early only overturned completely in 1993, when a new
Christianity of assigning a day to celebrate each new law granted parents in France the freedom to
saint as they were canonised. Usually, this would choose (almost) any name.
mark the day of the saint’s death. Since then, parents can only be prevented from
Eventually, during the Middle Ages, there were choosing a particular name if it appears ‘contrary to
enough saints to have one for each day of the year. the child’s interests’. Examples of names which have
Today, there are so many that many days honour not been allowed include Fraise (strawberry) and
several saints. Nutella. A judge did, however, decide in 1999 that
It is unclear exactly when Catholic societies began the Renaud family could call their daughter Mégane.
celebrating people with the same name as well as the Even if it is rare to give somebody a present, it is
saints themselves, but in France this was facilitated by still common, especially among older generations,
the fact that most people were named after a saint. to phone friends and relatives on their name day.
On 11 Germinal An XI (April 1, 1803), Napoleon It is not seen as a social obligation, and people will
introduced a law that required children to be given not be irked if you neglect to wish them bonne fête,
“names used in the different calendars, and those of particularly as many people these days are not
well-known figures from ancient history”. named after saints.
He was supposedly angered by the number of Sending well wishes is more something you might
people giving over-patriotic names based on figures do if you happen to notice the name on the calendar
of the French Revolution to their children. and it gives a nice excuse to phone somebody you
This was occasionally a cause for confusion. might not have spoken to in a while.
In certain French colonies it became a tradition to Certain people will even wish you a bonne fête the
name your child after the saint from the day they day before your name day. One possible explanation
were born. This led to some children born on July 14 for this is that services for the most significant days
being called Fetnat, as the Fête Nationale celebrations of the Christian calendar, such as Christmas, begin
were abbreviated to Fêt.Nat on the calendar.
Although a number of reforms in the second half
with the ‘first vespers’ the evening before, and this
tradition was extended to all saint days.
Do I need to inform the Solar panel contractor delaying
French authorities about installation: what are my rights?
my new EU passport? We signed a quote for consommation. Article
I was born in Denmark but lived for installing solar panels L216-1 of the same text
many years in the US where I became and gave the company a states that, where no date
a citizen, losing my Danish citizenship. deposit. They submitted is indicated or agreed upon
I have since lived in France for 15 a planning application beforehand, the service
years and have a 10-year residency which was rejected but I must be carried out “with-
card, but have now been able to get appealed and part of the out unjustified delay, and
my Danish citizenship renewed so I roof was approved for at the latest 30 days follow-
have an EU passport and no longer installation. ing the conclusion of the
require the residency card. Am I Since then, there has contract”.
required to notify the authorities? been no progress, and If no timeframe was
every time I chase it up specified, and the work has
The good news is there is nothing I am met with a new not begun after 30 days,
you need to do.
That was the conclusion of Haywood
excuse for delays.
Is there a requirement
you have the right to cancel
the contract.
Wise, an American-born French attorney for work to start or finish The best course of action
based in Paris, when contacted by in a sensible timescale? would be to contact your
The Connexion. Can I cancel the contract local Agence département-
His law firm specialises in helping peo- or am I trapped with this ale d’information sur le
ple obtain the right to live and work in provider? D.W. logement (Adil) housing
France or in the United States. information agency.
You do not need to cancel your residency The first thing to do is They have free legal
card, nor will you need to request a renew- re-read the devis (quote). experts who will be able to
al once it expires. Service providers are look at the quote and other
Having a passport from an EU country required by law to indicate documents and should be
provides a number of benefits in France, the date or timeframe in able to advise you on your
from easier travel to eligibility for a greater which they are committed rights and next steps.
number of jobs in the public sector. to completing the work, Find your local inform-
You will be able to provide your Danish according to Article L111-1 ation point at the following
passport as and when it is needed to assert of France’s Code de la site: tinyurl.com/adilmap.
your rights to these benefits.
Where do you recycle car tyres
in France, or what are you
What is a ‘ville fleurie’ and
who decides which places
Do I need to abide by Crit’Air
rules if I have a disabled
supposed to do with old tyres? get this classification? parking badge?
 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com Practical 19

Make sense of Six-month visas John Kitching, a

director of French Law
Consultancy Limited,
answers a reader query

Will our plans protect surviving spouse?

Q: We are English but live and
have a house in France, and our
old home in the UK. We made
UK wills while UK-resident, with
a discretionary trust to limit
exposure to care home fees. We
have a tontine clause declaring
that our French property is to be
managed under English law.
We only have children from the
marriage, but want the surviving
spouse to inherit first, and
children on the second death.
Do we need to do anything else?
A: WhilE the discretionary
trusts may have been useful
to limit possible exposure
to care home fees while UK-
resident, they present much
greater risk of exposure to
45% to 60% inheritance tax
now you are French-
resident, and the loss of
tax-free allowances.
I would recommend you
ficiaries. It might be simpler
to draft a new, very simple
will limited to the UK assets,
and a separate French will
for the French estate.
Regarding the tontine
clause, this can be an effect-
ive way to ensure that the
French house passes to the
surviving partner.
However, I wonder if there
is some confusion here as
a tontine clause is drafted
into the property title deed
on completion, and cannot
be added retrospectively. It
would make no reference
to English law. I suggest you
ask a specialist to check
your deed to see if there is
such a clause, or not.
It is possible that a French
will has been drafted that
elects English law, and has
been described as having
the effect of a tontine.

Non-EU citizens looking
to spend more than three
months in France, and who
do not have a spouse who
is an EU citizen, can use
a temporary long-stay visa
WHETHER you are American,
Australian, or – since Brexit –
British, if you want an extend-
ed stay in France, planning and
paperwork are unavoidable.
Non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens
can only benefit from visa-free
travel for up to 90 days in any
180-day period.
These rules are set to be even
more tightly enforced from May
when the EU’s Entry/Exit Sys­tem
comes into force, requiring
registration in a database on
entering the Schengen area.
This will automate the process
of checking that the 90/180-day
limit has been respected when
people enter or leave the zone.
So, if you do not want to risk
a fine and would like to stay
longer – for example, at a
second home – plan for a temp-
orary long-stay visa (VLS-T).
This sticker in your passport
allows a stay for a fixed, dated
period, usually of four to six
months, not counted as part of
the 90 days and not renewable
or extendable.
The visa costs €99, plus a
processing fee of around £31 or
$36, depending on the country
you are applying from.
If applying again, six months
must pass between the end date
of the last visa and the intended
start date of the next one.
The border police say there
is no problem with combining
time under the 90/180 days
rule and time on a visa – for
example, by staying on a bit
You can use this tool to check
on your ‘90 day’ rights (time in
France within your visa dates
can be deducted from the
count): tinyurl.com/VisaCalc.
Bear in mind that you risk
being seen as a French tax
resident if you spend more
than six months in a given
year in France.
The Interior Ministry states
that a visa is not required for a
six-month stay for spouses and
Pacs or civil partners of EU (but
not French) citizens, who can
apply in France for a residency
card at a prefecture if the couple
are planning to stay for more
than three months in France.
Other long-term partners can
also qualify but evidence of five
years living together is needed.
There are also rules for
spouses of French people, who
can obtain a free long-stay visa
to stay in France with them.
Our main image
was drawn for
Connexion by
artist Perry Taylor. application, with
For more of
his work see
www.perrytaylor.fr application form off,
Otherwise, a standard VLS-T
is required, and this starts with
an application at france-visas.
gouv.fr, which can be done in
English if you wish. Aim to
complete it one to three months time for processing before the
before planned travel, leaving
as much time as possible in case
of processing delays.
Scroll down to Start your visa contractors and the appoint-
application, where you will be
invited to create an account.
On the first page, you are
asked to choose a visa centre
purpose of your stay.
At the bottom of the first
page, click ‘verify’ to continue.
On further pages you are asked
for personal details, previous
stays in France for more than
three consecutive months,
intended dates and plans.
Put in the intended start day,
and under ‘number of months’,
choose ‘between three and six’.
You are asked if you plan to
travel with others (note: non-
EU children also need visas).
Details of where you will stay
are needed, and of how you
will fund the trip (eg. ‘cash’,
‘credit cards’, etc.). Other
options include funding by
a host or a guarantor.
Once a first application has
been submitted, it is possible
to add further applications
from up to six members of
your group. If you do, you
will be called in together to
hand in supporting
documents.
When you have
completed your
payment of any pro-
cessing fees, print the
as well as the receipt
that will be generated
at the end of the process.
The website will indicate sup-
porting documents needed.
You then book an appoint-
ment to take them in, allowing
planned travel date.
In the case of the UK and US,
this is done via websites of the
ments are at one of their offices.
You will need to bring in orig-
inals of all documents and your
passport, plus photocopies of
and explanation of your plans,
and evidence of your ‘socio-
economic situation’, such as
pension documents, a work
contract or study certificate.
A UK-issued Ehic or Ghic
suffices for health cover.
For other nationalities,
private health insurance is
required for urgent medical
care and repatriation.
You also need proof of your
accommodation in France,
such as a rental contract or
deeds, or a statement by a host,
as well as proof of funds, such
as your last three bank state-
ments. If your partner will sup-
port you, you need a marriage
or civil partnership certificate.
As a general rule, the amount
requested is income equivalent
to the French minimum wage
(€1,329.05 net) per month of
the stay, or equivalent savings.
Slightly lower levels are
accepted for second-home own-
ers. Levels for those applying as
couples are usually slightly
higher in total, but not double.
The service will check the
papers, scan or take a photo,
scan your fingerprints, and
retain your passport and
document copies for
forwarding to the consulate.
You can track the application’s
progress online. Any queries or
requests for more documents
will usually be by email.
When the visa is ready, you
can collect your passport or
pay for courier delivery.
Another person can do it if
they bring application print-
outs, a copy of your passport
and an authorisation letter.
The information here
is an edited extract
Image: perrytaylor.fr
seek specialist advice If this is the case, then
with a view to revoking the unfortunately as of Novem-
discretionary trusts part of ber 2021, if an election of
the wills unless you return English law disinherits
to live in the UK, and even children, the notaire will
then you should limit the invite the children to claim
wills so they do not apply their inheritance rights out
to French assets or French- of the French estate value
resident trustees or bene- if they wish to.
Call +44 (0) 16 63 74 54 88 for an initial free consultancy.
frenchlawconsultancy.com
Owning a
second
home in
France
Owning a second home in France
Photo: Shutterstock.com / E. Spek
Could you save with EDF’s Tempo contract?
Q: We do not visit our second home often during winter.
Should we consider taking out a Tempo electricity contract?
A: EDF’s Tempo option offers cheaper electricity most of the
year in return for paying more on certain winter days when
the network is under strain, meaning they could be advant-
ageous for many second-home owners.
Prices can be up to three times more expensive during the
22 ‘red’ days, as the idea is to encourage people to use
less electricity and thus take some pressure off the network.
These fall between November 1 and March 31, in particular
during cold snaps. Weekends are never considered red days.
There are 300 ‘blue’ days in the year, where electricity is 30%
cheaper during peak hours, and 40% cheaper during
off-peak hours than the usual regulated tariffs. There are also
43 ‘white’ days, where rates are 10% and 24% cheaper.
However, you will only be notified of the colour category the
day before, so if you do make trips in winter, you cannot plan
them in advance to take prices into consideration.
Tempo is also good for those who do not heat with electricity.
Tempo is an option of the Tarif Bleu, a ‘regulated’ electricity
offer, with prices under government control, and likely to be
protective in times when the market is subject to pressures. If
you are not already on it, you can switch to it if you wish.
Digital guide + updates €14.50 If you have a Linky meter, you could take out a ‘Zen Week-
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end’ contract, which offers 30% cheaper electricity on week-

longer after the end of the visa
period. It is useful in this case
to be able to explain this at the
border if need be and to keep
for taking in your paperwork these, including important from our new guide to Visas and
residency cards ends and bank holidays. ‘Zen Week-end Plus’ also includes a
and give the type of visa (‘long- passport pages, and pay the visa French visas and resi- (cartes de séjour) cheaper midweek day. This might be suitable if you work and
stay’), your passport number fee. Documents include recent dency cards, available for France
The different types
are only able to make it to France for shorter trips. However,
and expiry date, and your plans passport photos, a written in mid-January via
+ Rules for renewals
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this is a ‘market rate’ tariff, so check terms and conditions.

+ Workers, non workers,
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retirees, students
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evidence such as travel tickets. (eg. ‘visitor’) and the main promise not to work in France connexionfrance.com
+ Your questions answered
 20 Language / Finance connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

Five ways to push through Don’t let age be an obstacle

to pursuing better French
the language pain barrier
by Gillian Harvey poetry and in her 90s she won
prizes for her translations of
You might have heard that the Russian poetry.”
older we get, the harder it is to Barriers to fluency can be
pick up a second language. as much about perception
When learning French, a few For some, this idea becomes a as reality, continues Dr Bak,
mental stumbling block – they citing a recent paper by linguist
setbacks are inevitable. The write off their chances of fluency Monika Schmid that showed
trick is to learn resilience at before tackling their first lesson. many people learning French
In fact, the idea that older have more knowledge than they
the same time, says Nick Inman brains will struggle more is not believe they have.
100% accurate – and there may It is also a good idea to consid-
There is a cost to learning a foreign even be advantages for those er how you define ‘fluency’.
language. At the very least, it takes a lot of choosing to learn a second “Learning a language later

Photo: twggy_Shutterstock
time and mental effort. language later in life. might be problematic if your
You get nowhere if you do not put in “As we age, we get slower – goal is to sound like a native,”
regular, sustained commitment. both mentally and physically,” Dr Bak says. “But for me, accent
It can also take it out of you emotionally: says Thomas Bak, 61, cognitive is not a linguistic thing, it’s an
it can be humiliating and frustrating when neuroscientist and researcher anthropological one.
you cannot say what you want to say. in bilingualism at the Univers- “For example, someone from
It might be a long journey to fluency so celebrate minor successes along the way
To begin with, while you are stumbling ity of Edinburgh. England who moves to Scotland

though the basics, you don’t get much
reward. You go back to being a toddler,
trying to find the words just to cover your
basic needs.
The feedback you get can make or break
you. You speak to a Parisian waiter in pass-
able primary school French and he refuses
to understand. He lets you squirm on your
tus and vous and masculines and feminines
and then replies in insouciant English to
prove that he is superior to you and you
have not made any progress at all.
Why bother, you think. You are only go-
ing to demean yourself further and you are
never going to get where you want to go.
If you live in France and don’t have a
good grasp of the language, it can make
you depressed and isolated.
You can be tempted to give up entirely
and retreat back into English but that is not
necessarily going to make you feel better.
I know the feeling of not being able to
communicate, but I also know that persist-
ence pays off.
You have to push yourself through the
pain barrier. It does get better. It even gets
satisfying and enjoyable – but it requires a
certain constancy and momentum.
So, what do you do when you are feeling
discouraged and you think your attempt to
learn French is futile? You have to keep at
it with the language but the emotions need
“
You go back to being a
toddler, trying to find
the words just to cover
your basic needs
a different treatment. You have to tackle
them with psychology.
Here are a few pieces of advice you might
want to remember when you next think of
giving up:
1. Don’t let one idiot be the judge
The remarks of a surly waiter probably say
more about him than about you.
It is easy to dwell only on the negative
feedback. Look around you: for every one
person who seems bent on crushing your
spirit, I guarantee there will be 10 people
cheering you on from the touchline.
2. Celebrate your successes, however minor
You might dream of reciting Victor Hugo
in the original but just to ask the garage to
change the oil in your car is a victory for “But when it comes to will not sound Scottish, and vice
the time being. learning, we can compensate versa. Accents have very little
in other ways. Perhaps you to do with language – they are
3. Every interaction is a one-off know a little French history or more to do with social accept-
It involves just you and whoever you are geography, for example, and are ance and feeling part of things.”
talking to. It is not comparable with any able to understand context more His top tips for improving
other interaction, certainly not the ones readily. You will often have a include creating opportunities
you hear in French courses. wider vocabulary, too, making for immersion.
The object is to exchange thoughts and it easier to recognise similarities “Use your language – even
it doesn’t matter how you do it, even if it
involves a mixture of French and English
between words.”
Dr Bak, who recently started
if you feel uncomfortable
speaking, you can read the local
or an awful lot of body language. learning Swahili, adds: “In paper, look at French posts on
If there is a connection, what more do my class were some people in social media, etc,” he says.
you want? their 20s, and some in their “If you are in a new place,
60s. Those in their 20s seemed reading a book about the
4. The person you are talking to might not to learn vocabulary better, but region, its history or geography
speak perfect French himself/herself older students were often better will help to develop your
This might be the reason he doesn’t at applying what they knew.” language, plus create a feeling of
understand you, rather than your He also insists we can still belonging and connection.”
uncertain grammar or bad pronunciation. reach fluency as adults even if Despite advancing years,
we have not studied a language later life might be an ideal time
5. Make a joke out of your floundering as a child, giving the example to learn a language, Dr Bak
This is the best way to puncture the of the novelist Joseph Conrad. concludes.
arrogance of the proverbial Parisian waiter. “He only learnt English to fluen- “For a start, people often have
Don’t apologise for your French but cy in his 20s,” says Dr Bak, “yet more free time to dedicate to
learn a few phrases to keep your ego from he became part of the canon. it. It’s also a great way to keep
deflating altogether, such as Je vais y arriver “Another example is the yourself mentally fit.
(“I’m going to get there”) or Un jour je vais English author Mary Hobson, “It’s like playing sport – you
parler français comme vous parlez anglais who started learning Russian at might not win Wimbledon aged
(“One day I’ll speak French as well as you 56 so she could read War and 50, but I would argue it’s more
speak English”). Peace in its original form. Then important than ever to
Keep the faith and it will become true. at 75 she wrote a PhD in Russian be active as you age.”

More chance of backing a winner with diverse portfolio

Money Matters
Robert Kent of
Kentingtons explains.
kentingtons.com
As human beings, we are naturally attracted
to things we find familiar. Accepting change can
be more complicated.
This holds true for investments too.
For example, someone born and bred in the
UK is more likely to invest in British companies,
is that energy and financial companies represent ification. The US, for instance, has for decades
around 35% of the index, whereas the tech-
nology sector counts for next to nothing.
been a major driver of global growth, most
recently thanks to the dynamism and dominance
In France, the leading stock market index, of its tech titans.
comprising 40 companies, is called the CAC 40. Why should an investor more heavily favour
France is a global leader in the luxury goods one country as opposed to another, or one
sector, which therefore holds notable sway continent versus another, simply based on
within the CAC. where they were born? And what happens if, for
The heavyweight is LVMH, which is actually example, they move from the UK to France?
Europe’s most highly valued company. Quite Clearly, it makes much more sense to have a
apart from Moët, Hennessy and Louis Vuitton, balanced global portfolio that will work perfectly
LVMH also owns numerous household name for you whether you live in France, the UK, or
brands such as Dior, Tiffany, Givenchy, Kenzo, anywhere else in the world for that matter.
TAG Heuer and Dom Pérignon champagne. In France, the most common tax-efficient
Photo: viewimage_Shutterstock

and it follows that a French national is more
likely to invest in French companies.
Very often, be it directly or indirectly via a
fund, people will invest in the biggest (and thus
arguably the best) companies, as represented in
national stock indexes.
What people may not realise, however, is that
investing in this way means a portfolio is unlike-
ly to be diversified enough. This is because indi-
vidual countries tend to specialise, economically,
in one or two specific sectors. To illustrate my
point, let us look at some examples.
I am sure that most readers will be familiar
with the FTSE 100, a stock index of the leading
hundred UK companies. Lesser known, though,
When we factor in that the CAC is also home
to brands such as Hermes, Gucci and l’Oréal, we
readily accept that France really does boast the
who’s who of luxury brands which, combined,
represent approximately 35% of the CAC 40.
In Germany, we see the same sort of thing
with automobiles, thanks to Daimler, BMW,
Volkswagen, Porsche, Continental and
Mercedes-Benz.
Finally, of course, we have to mention the
United States, ‘home’ to technology giants
including Amazon, Apple, Google and
Microsoft, to name but the best-known.
So, what is the main takeaway from all this?
Well, as investors we are always told to diversify,
‘wrapper’ for long-term saving and investing is
an assurance vie. And the good news is that it is
perfectly possible to hold a low-cost portfolio of
global stocks and bonds within an assurance vie.
This means spreading risk over thousands of
different companies and governments (in the
case of bonds) around the globe.
Luxury goods hold sway in France’s CAC 40
This level of diversification significantly
but if you only invest in your national index, I reduces the risk of underperformance by a
would argue that you are not diversified enough. specific sector, or country. And it notably
Moreover, is it logical that the French, as a increases our chances of participating in the
whole, are effectively making the bet that luxury next driver of the world economy.
brands will outperform other companies? While we cannot say for sure where future
I would go further and state that investing only growth will come from, a truly diversified
in Europe would still lead to insufficient divers- portfolio should mean we benefit nonetheless.
 French living
Food Wine Homes Gardens Interviews Events FRENCH NEWS IN ENGLISH SINCE 2002

charcuterie CLASSICS
How to master rillettes
and pâtés at home
Pagnol’s
Provence
Snow art
in the Alps
2 Royal France connexionfrance.com French Living I January 2023

Visit the crowning glories

of France’s long-lived,
now long-lost monarchy
Samantha David takes in the splendid sights of the republic’s former monarchy, from the Hall
of Mirrors in Versailles to Margaret of Austria’s royal monastery in Brou, Bourg-en-Bresse

F
rance is staunchly Republican.

Photos: left, Jerôme Schwab; inset, CMN Franck Paubel

However much the French love
to denigrate their presidents,
no-one seriously wants to pay
an aristocratic family to wear a
crown as the titular Head of the French
State. There is, however, a lingering
attachment to all the pomp and ceremo-
ny attached to royalty which runs
through public life like a golden thread.
The palaces, the uniforms, the lavish
décor, fabulous jewellery, carriages and
hats are all regarded with deep admira-
tion. The affection expressed by France
and the French for Queen Elizabeth II
was undoubtedly sincere.
Although lacking a monarchy, France
has Versailles, a stunningly beautiful pal-
ace which has been extensively restored
since the 1950s, when it had fallen into
disrepair. At that time even the roof
above the famous Salle des Glaces (Hall of
Mirrors) was leaking, with rain dripping
through the ceiling. As for the mirrors
themselves, they were spotted with age,
the windows facing them dull with pollu-
tion, the floors dusty and the paintwork
peeling around the edges. ments, a re-enactment of the wedding, Above: The Grand at least 1,000 years. The current palace months later. Her second marriage
From the mid-50s onwards, however, Baroque dance classes, sketches and Parterre at the was constructed from 1068 onwards. to Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, was so
it was renovated as a venue to receive demonstrations, concerts, amusements, Château de Much of it is built in the Renaissance successful that when he died in 1504,
foreign dignitaries and leaders including champagne, a buffet supper, a midnight Fontainebleau; style, and it was extensively embellished she was heartbroken.
Nikita Khrushchev, John F Kennedy, ball, and to top it all off, fireworks which left, the regal and remodelled during the sixteenth and The point of building this monastery
Elizabeth II, the Shah of Iran, Mikhail can be watched from the Salle des Glaces. façade of seventeenth centuries. The list of the was to oblige the monks to say daily
Gorbachev, and Vladimir Putin – all of The annual Bal Masqué du Château de the Monastère chateau’s art-loving royal residents is prayers for Philibert II, as well as to pro-
whom have been entertained there. Versailles is held every June in the Royal de Brou astonishing, and much of the art they vide a spectacular burial place for him.
Since 1995, it has been publicly owned. Orangerie and guests are all impeccably collected is still on display. Philibert’s mother, Margaret of Bourbon,
Much of the original furniture, orna- dressed in costumes from Louis XIV’s Looted and damaged during the 1789 is also interred there, as eventually was
ments and furnishings which were looted era. Anyone not wearing the correct dress revolution, from 1804, Napoleon restored Margaret of Austria. (Bourg-en-Bresse
during and after the Revolution have or not masked is refused entrance. and refurnished the building. He had was part of Savoy at that time.) Unlike
been re-purchased, and the build- Starting at 11.30pm, the ball, which forty apartments decorated for his courti- many other royal graves, the three extrav-
ings have been restored, includes performers, dancers, ers, and ballets and opera were staged agant tombs survived the Revolution
although the project is so champagne and refresh- twice weekly in the theatre. Pope Pius VII unscathed, and are open to the public.
huge that work is still ments, continues until was detained here for 19 months until he A much more modest, but nevertheless
ongoing. Immortalised dawn – as it should, signed the Concordat de Fontainebleau, fascinating, royal connection can be

on TV, in films and
in books, Versailles
is now one of
Europe’s most glit-
tering palaces.
The palace build-
ings and grounds
are themselves a
museum and contain
other spaces used for
mounting various tempo-
rary exhibitions. The events
which have really captured the pub-
lic’s imagination, however, are the various
soirées and spectacles including Les Fêtes
Galantes, an annual recreation of a ball
given during the reign of Louis XIV.
This year, the magic date is May 22, and
the theme will be the marriage of Louis
XVI and Marie-Antoinette. (Tickets from
€170 to €595.) All guests have to arrive
wearing appropriate, high-quality cos-
tumes. Festivities will start in the early
evening with visits to the royal apart-
considering tickets
cost up to €530
each. For history
buffs it is worth
noting that the
lighting and much
of the music is reso-
lutely modern.
It takes a very full
day to see everything at
Versailles if you include
the palace, all the exhibitions,
the extensive grounds and other
buildings including the Petit Trianon,
which is a palace in itself. The best way
to approach it is via the comprehensive
website, and the best time to visit is out
of the high season, as it is often over-
crowded and the gardens can become
uncomfortably hot.
On the same trail, the Château de
Fontainebleau is also fascinating, and
well worthwhile visiting. There have been
royal forts and residences on this spot for
“
essentially legitimising Napoleon’s rule.
It was also where he was forced to abdi-
cate in 1814.
Napoleon III also restored and redeco-
rated the chateau, which was often used
as a military headquarters. Briefly occu-
pied during WW2, Nato was based there
There is until restoration works began in the 1960s.
The Napoleon museum was inaugurated
a lingering in 1986.
Skipping back a few centuries, the
attachment Monastère Royal de Brou, near Bourg-
en-Bresse, was built as a mausoleum
to royalty but now also houses a fine art museum
which celebrates its 100th birthday this
which runs year with a raft of exhibitions and events
running until November.
through The monastery was originally built
between 1506 and 1533 by Margaret of
public life Austria, who grew up in France as the
bride of Louis XI’s son, Charles VIII. For
like a golden political expediency the marriage never
took place, and she married John, the
thread prince of Asturias, but was widowed six
found in Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques),
where Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was
born. He began his career in the French
army and was chosen by the Swedish
parliament to become the King of Sweden
in 1818. In his adopted country he was
known as Karl XIV Johan, but in France
he is often called just ‘Bernadotte’.
Having inspected his birthplace, the
next port of call has to be the Château de
Pau, the birthplace of Henri IV in 1553.
Originally built in the twelfth century, it
was extended during the Renaissance and
again during the reigns of Louis-Philippe
I and Napoleon III. A fairy-tale fortified
castle, it is compact, fully furnished and
curiously domestic.
The French Riviera bears plenty of
traces of the Russian aristocrats who
flocked to the Mediterranean coast to
enjoy the sunshine and, in many cases,
treat tuberculosis. In 1856, the Empress
Alexandra Feodorovna, the widow of
Nicholas I, raised money to build the
January 2023 I French Living
Eglise Saint-Nicolas-et-Sainte-Alexandra
in Nice. Recently restored, it has lost
none of its beauty and is well worth visit-
ing. The ground floor houses a library
and the church is on the first floor.
Fifty years later, Maria Feodorovna,
the wife of Alexander III, organised the
construction of a full-blown Russian
Orthodox cathedral in Nice complete
with onion domes and gold leaf. In 1912,
it was consecrated in memory of Nicholas
Alexandrovich, the Tsar’s brother, who
had died in Nice.
The traditional place for crowning
French monarchs was Reims cathedral,
which housed the Holy Ampulla (a glass
vial) of Chrism (anointing oil) which is
supposed to have been brought from
heaven to the baptism of King Clovis I in
496 by a white dove. The tale inspired the
city’s nickname, La Cité des Sacres (The
Coronation City). It also gave rise to the
claim that French kings were anointed
by God himself, which is why it was so
important for them to arrange a corona-
tion at Reims. Naturally they could hold
the ceremony elsewhere, but without the
all-important Holy Ampulla of Chrism,
they could not legitimately claim to be
appointed by God.
From Philippe II Augustus in 1179 to
Charles X in 1825, almost every single
French King was anointed in the cathe-
dral of Notre-Dame in Reims. The arch-
bishops doing the anointing lived in the
nearby sumptuous Palais de Tau, where
kings stayed during their coronation
celebrations in Reims.
Both buildings are open to the public.
There are information notices in English
about the coronations, and do not miss
connexionfrance.com
the stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall
in the side chapel. During the summer
months the exterior is beautifully illumi-
nated. The Holy Ampulla can be seen
next door in the Palais de Tau, along with
some crown jewels and the ninth century
Talisman of Charlemagne, which is reput-
ed to contain a fragment of the True
Cross. Many of the statues, tapestries,
and ornaments from the cathedral are
also exhibited. Not all of the labels are
translated, but you can ask for a free
printed guide in English, or an English
audio guide for €3.
To track down some history concerning
the lives of English kings in France, visit
the Royal Fortress of Chinon in Vienne.
Built by the Count of Blois, it was taken
over by the Counts of Anjou in the
eleventh century. In 1156, Henry II
of England seized the chateau from his
brother Geoffrey, the rebellious Count of
Nantes, and it became his principal resi-
dence. He died there in 1189, and the
chateau was besieged and captured in
1205 by King Philip II of France. In 1427,
when the court of Charles VII was in
residence, Joan of Arc visited the future
king and persuaded him to be crowned
in Reims. The chateau is also associated
with Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard
the Lionheart.
By the sixteenth century, the palace was
being used as a prison, and eventually
was left to decay. A recent €14.5 million
restoration has put the chateau back on
the map and it is now a major attraction.
The visit uses a ‘histopad’, a tablet which
helps people to imagine what life must
have been like back then. There is also
an escape game suitable for families.
Royal France 3
Photo: Versailles
The Great Pretenders
A stork at the centre for
Although the bloody demise of Louis
breeding and protection
XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette at the
at Parc de l’Orangerie in
hands of revolutionary executioners is
Strasbourg
well-documented, not all of their family
perished. His eight-year-old son techni-
cally became Louis XVII after his father’s
death, although he spent the two years of
his ‘reign’ in prison, where he died. Louis
XVI’s brother, Louis XVIII, assumed the
throne from 1814 to 1824, except for the
‘Hundred Days’ during which Napoleon
escaped and marched to Waterloo.
Next up was the second younger broth-
er, Charles X, who reigned until 1830,
when he was deposed. These were all
members of the House of Bourbon, and
their descendants are called the
Legitimist Pretenders.
There is another lot, however. Louis-
Philippe I was crowned in the place of his
distant cousin and reigned until
1848, when he abdicated in
favour of his grandson,
whose reign lasted all of
two days. Their
descendants are
known as the
Orléanist pretenders
to the throne.
The final emperor
was Napoleon III,
who ruled from 1852
until he was captured
and deposed in 1870.
Thereafter, France
became a Republic once
more, but that wasn’t the end of
the royal pretenders. In addition to the
Legitimists and the Orléanists, there are
also Bonapartist claimants, the Blancs
d’Espagne, who are distant descendants
of Louis XIV. There exist even British
and Jacobite claimants.
These later claimants, however, are not
particularly active or even serious, unlike
the Legitimist Louis Alphonse, Duke of
Anjou (born 1974), who is the current
Above: The dazzling head of the House of Bourbon and pre-
Hall of Mirrors in the tends to the title of Louis XX of France.
palace of Versailles. Born in Madrid, he is an international
Sunglasses optional financier. He has substantially fewer
supporters than his arch rival.
The head of the House of Orléans is
Jean Carl Pierre Marie d’Orléans (born
1965), who claims to be Jean IV of
France. He currently uses the title Count
of Paris.
D’Orléans has a master’s degree in
philosophy from the Sorbonne, another
in law, and an MBA from Azusa Pacific
University in Los Angeles. He is married
to Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart with
whom he has five children.
Arguments between the two branches
of the family are legion. The Bourbon
line has not forgotten that the Duc
d’Orléans voted in favour of the King
Louis XVI’s execution. The Legitimists
want a restoration of the monarchy with
full powers, whilst the Orléanists favour
the monarch being a titular Head of State
with fewer powers, although both houses
are conservative, traditional and right
wing. Strict Catholics, they have all
spoken out against abortion, as well
as gay marriage and adoption.
Their lives, and those of their extensive
families, are of enduring fascination to
the French tabloids, although there is no
possibility of the French Republic col-
lapsing in favour of a restored monarchy.
The French public also enjoys the sport
of watching the ongoing drama within
Monaco’s House of Grimaldi. After Grace
Kelly married Prince Rainier III
in 1956, they had three chil-
dren, Princess Caroline,
Prince Albert, and
Princess Stéphanie.
Grace died in a car
crash in 1982, and
Rainier in 2005.
Prince Albert II
advocates for the
environment, ocean
conservation, and
renewable energy to
tackle climate change.
He also owns much of
Monaco, including the
iconic casino. He has wined and
dined some of the world’s most beautiful
women, producing two children: Jazmin
Grace Grimaldi and Alexandre Grimaldi-
Coste. He initially attempted to disown
both of them. In 2011, he married South
African Olympic swimmer Charlene
Wittstock, who was famously photo-
graphed in tears at her wedding. They
had twins - Princess Gabriella and
Prince Jacques - and are officially still
together, but speculation continues to
buzz about the royal marriage.
Prince Albert’s sister, Princess Caroline,
has been married three times, and has
four children. She is also known for her
courtroom battles with the tabloid press.
Her sister Princess Stéphanie was in
the car crash which killed her mother.
She had careers in fashion and pop
music, and has two children with her
first husband, Daniel Ducruet, her
former bodyguard, and another child
with her Head of Security.
Photos: Left, Thomas Garnier; above inset, Wikimedia Commons, public domain
A bedroom fit for a real
queen: the Queen’s
bedroom at the palace of
Versailles; and
above, Portrait of Charles
X, King of France and
Navarre, by the English
painter Horace Vernet
4 Rencontre connexionfrance.com French Living I January 2023

‘It is not about competition and

speed, but giving confidence back’
Luc Costermans talks

Photos: Luc Costermans

to Théophile Larcher
about the association
he founded that allows
blind people like himself
to drive racing cars

T
his Grand Prix. I know it
by heart.” “By heart means
doing it with your eyes closed,
Julie.” “That’s impossible,”
Julie replies.
This short dialogue is taken from
Michel Vaillant, a 2003 French movie
inspired by the popular comic, when
Julie Wood answers questions from driver
Michel Vaillant about what speed and gear
she would choose on every corner of the
Le Mans circuit. In a nail-biting scene,
she is taken to Le Mans by Mr Vaillant,
where he asks her to cover his eyes
while he drives the circuit, to prove it
is not impossible.
Luc Costermans had seen the movie
two weeks before he lost his sight in an
accident. A rally and Formula 1 fan,
Mr Costermans founded an association
based on this very idea in 2006. Les said, requesting that our article would not Above, Luc specially designed rally helmets with This is 100% feeling, because you cannot
Non-voyants et leurs drôles de machines is centre around himself but the association. Costermans on built-in headphones and microphones, picture the outside world. Every co-pilot
meant to prove that losing your sight does the Circuit du Var, which we use if needed. will tell you they do not see the road, since
not have to result in only sitting in the pas- You created from scratch a and inset, (fourth they have their nose in their notes and
senger seat. The association offers lessons special system that allows blind from the left) at How have you been welcomed by their seat is lower than the driver’s.
with driving instructors and professional people to drive cars. Can you explain Molsheim, with organisers or track owners? Are they They only see the bonnet. They send
drivers to people with visual impairment. to us exactly how your system works? association members not afraid you may crash more cars? orders based on how they read the pilot’s
The association grew year by year, build- You have to create a special language in Absolutely not (laughs). We are always driving style.
ing partnerships with former rally and order to communicate easily with your greeted with kindness and goodwill. It is the same for all of us in the associa-
Formula 1 drivers and track owners, and co-pilot. It takes its inspiration from the The automobile industry has a lot of tion. When I am in a car, I only feel the
publishing videos on a dedicated Youtube hand of a watch. A turn to the right is trust in us, particularly since the associa- road through my body. From the steering
channel. After Spa-Francorchamps, in indicated as Right plus the number on tion has been running since 2006. wheel, I can understand the liaison point
2022, the association drove for the first the watch face to indicate the inclination Throughout this time we have gained from the ground.
time at Le Castellet, France’s official of the turn. acceptance and respectability. From touching the gear box, I can get
Formula 1 circuit. The association has There are complementary and very Co-pilots always respect our members’ more mechanical information. The seat
35 members and has given 1,000 courses. technical aspects to indicate the speed, personal space, and they never push them and the car body will give you information
It has also built a library of 2,400 audio when to brake, or change gears when a to the maximum. Racing is a dangerous about the road surface, etc. All of that is
books read by actors such as Léa Drucker, turn comes around. sport and their lives therefore remain on called conduire aux fesses. The same works
Edouard Baer, Jean-Pierre Marielle and the line. The co-pilots never forget that. for you but you have forgotten it because
Jean Reno, among others. Is it not too difficult? your eyes are in charge.
The French media tends to focus on the It is very demanding, but it has been What have you heard from your The only difference is when a turn has
speed aspect, as Mr Costermans developed specifically for total blindness. members that has filled your heart? a rumble strip. Since you see it, you can
once broke records as the Partially sighted people actually The biggest compliments we receive come anticipate this and position your body
world’s fastest blind face more challenges because from their smiles once they are out of the accordingly. I cannot, and co-pilots often
driver, notching up they can be distracted by a car. That is priceless. They are happy to lack the time to deliver the information.
308 kilometres per tree or any other object have been able to do it, to have progressed. When I take a rumble strip, I do not know
hour in a in their surrounding They feel good. It also feels great when if I am still on the road. Your body has not

“
Lamborghini vision. they shake your hand afterwards. enough time to adapt to the situation. This
Gallardo. Some people with Some get their confidence from going part of driving is extremely disturbing.
His passion this type of partial to the mairie, the boulangerie or seeing the
for auto sports visual impairment doctor. With us, everybody overperforms What do you expect for
still burns ask to be blindfolded everyday. For people coming into our the future of the association?
brightly, evi- with a bandana to association, ‘outperformance’ is about We are focusing on what happens in
dent in some prevent their periph- changing gears and driving on a racing 2023. We hope that we can continue to
of the off-the-re- eral vision distracting circuit. work with Le Castellet and secure two
cord anecdotes he
shared about Ari
their driving. Getting used Does the association
driving activities on Formula 1 circuits.
That would be outstanding.
Vatanen’s notorious
Pikes peak ascension in
Does it increase
hearing sensitivity or
to this new have a driving simulator?
Driving simulators are very difficult for
We have recently received a Renegade
with 280 horsepower. Some of our most
1988, and of several Formula build confidence with co-pilots? style of blind people because the seat remains experienced drivers are still getting used
1 drivers he has met, and his testing rally It is a combination of both. Blind people static, unlike when you drive a real car. to the car. It is extremely difficult to drive.
experiences in Finland. will trust the information given to them driving will You are pictured on a screen, but you It has an automatic transmission and
Of course, among Les Non-voyants et by the co-pilots, who will in return trust cannot feel anything. This is extremely directional power is placed on the back
leurs drôles de machines members there their responses. Sometimes, regarding take time. frustrating for blind drivers. of the car, which creates a different kind
is a healthy spirit of rivalry, but speed and hearing, co-pilots will speak louder if it of movement to what most members have
competition is not at the core of the asso- is necessary. This is particularly relevant But nothing I read that you call this conduire become accustomed. Getting used to this
ciation, Mr Costermans told us. “We want considering that the sound of the engine aux fesses (driving with your butt) new style of driving will take time.
to give people their confidence back,” he increases with speed. We also have is impossible This is another technique from rally. But nothing is impossible.
6 Gardens
A garden to be shared: winter-ready
wonder welcomes visitors in January
Cathy Thompson meets
gardener Christian
Peyron, whose 40-
year passion project
in Isère is tailor-made
for colder seasons
T
his January think of visiting
a garden just south of Lyon,
in the département of Isère.
The Jardin du Bois Marquis
(7 rue des Contancines,
Vernioz 38150; 06 08 99 02 01) focuses
strongly on the peculiarly English fascina-
tion for winter-interest plants and was
honoured with ‘Jardin remarquable’ status
in 2010.
It is unusual, however, in that it has been
created over the last forty odd years by a
Frenchman, Christian Peyron.
In winter, Bois Marquis is an enchanted
land where white-stemmed birches and
snake-bark maples vie with vibrantly
coloured dogwood and willow stems
for attention, while the sweet scents of
Hamamelis, Daphne and Chimonanthus
waft through the cold air.
After the initial purchase of one third
of a hectare in the 1980s, Christian’s
curiosity about plants encouraged him
to read voraciously and he became
enchanted by the winter bark of trees
and shrubs through the books of a French
author who was to become a friend,
Cédric Pollet.
Visits to Britain – particularly to the
gardens of Alan Bloom and his son
Alan, at Bressingham in Norfolk –
served to feed the flame.
There are very few mature gardens in
France that focus on specifically autumn
and winter interest, and those that do
exist are mostly found in Normandy,
almost as satellite gardens around their
chief inspiration, the garden of the late
Princess Greta Sturdza at Vasterival
(vasterival.fr). In his book Jardins d’hiver:
Une saison réinventée (2016, Ulmer),
Cédric Pollet provides us with a list of
these rather unusual French gardens.
In 1991, Christian had the good fortune
to buy a further 10 hectares, of which five
are now dedicated to an arboretum. “The
land is very good for planting trees,” he
tells me. “It is relatively heavy (but not too
heavy or dry), rich because it is alluvial
connexionfrance.com
deposit – and there is some stone, so it
is well-drained. And, the cherry on the
cake, it is west-facing, so well lit. Another
cherry... it’s a little acid, so perfect for
autumn colour!”
Fired by a love affair with so many
plants not readily available in France,
he quickly understood that he would
have to learn to graft in order to plant
what he craved. This he did in the com-
pany of books and a friend or two, and
was soon taking all of his holidays in
Britain – normally between Christmas
and Lent, when tree propagating material
is most propitiously lifted...
“I aways took cutting material, some-
times with permission... but sometimes
without,” he ruefully admits. Extra
plants are shared with fellow members
of the Lyon-based Association THALIE
(thaliejardins.fr). “When I graft plants,
I keep two or three specimens for myself
and share the rest with gardening friends
and the Association.”
Everything that you see during your
visit to the Jardin du Bois Marquis has
been achieved by Christian single-hand-
edly – sourcing plants, propagating
plants, planting, erecting barriers against
the rabbit population, watering, feeding.
Previously he cut all
of the grass himself,
but in the last two
years he has come to
an arrangement with
his commune, which
has taken on his rather
splendid mower and
now cuts the grass at
Bois Marquis, as well
as its own.
I asked him about
watering during this
last season. He tells
me that he generally
tends to leave young
plants to themselves
after three years –
scarcity of water is
French Living I January 2023
mer, even a mulch to protect the root
Photos courtesy Christian Peyron
system was useless – and even if I watered
something it might not be good:
Gardeners will have to rethink their
planting completely, Christian believes. So,
I asked him, will he be changing his own
future plans for the garden? “No – there are
already enough people planting palms and
olives in France. The whole country would
simply be palms and olives. I want some-
thing more interesting,” he laughs.
As a man without children, Christian
has been careful to plan for the garden’s
future – the lawnmower agreement with
the commune was just a sign of what’s to
come, because the village will benefit
from the gift of his house and garden
when he’s gone.
In addition, he has initiated an annual,
and now well-established, plant fair,
which takes place on the third weekend
of October. Christian hopes that when he’s
no longer around, the proceeds of the fair
will contribute to the annual upkeep of
the garden. In 2022, there were 60 exhibit-
ers, at least two or three of which special-
ise in winter interest plants.
Sharing is a big theme for
Christian, who opens the garden
every day of the year, from sunrise
to sunset. “People love just being
in nature and walking – if I had
A range of stunning a hundred euros for every photo-
autumn and winter graph that had ever been taken
scenes from the here, I’d be Bill Gates!”
unique garden of Of course, as Christian says,
Christian Peyron, “Children like things that move –
pictured right animals and birds – more than
plants.” Fortunately, one of his
other passions has been for orna-
mental ducks: these he has used
(in company with llamas and tur-
keys!) to populate a two-hectare
‘animal park’ complete with a
never a problem here, since he has plenty huge pond.
of well water – but this summer he was There is no fee to enter the garden, but
never off duty in checking that young make sure you wear good walking boots
plants were thriving. for a winter visit. In advance of your visit,
There were many surprises. The large you can consult the list of more than
trees, such as the oaks, the beech, the 1,000 species in the arboretum (www.
hornbeam did well – and, amazingly, lejardinduboismarquis.com/liste-plante).
so did all of the maples, including the In any case, visitors will particularly
Japanese and Canadian. In contrast, plants enjoy that fact that all of the plants are
such as birch, magnolias and dogwoods labelled. If you’d like Christian to lead
did very badly. Magnolias, of course, are you on a guided tour in French, please
notoriously surface-rooting. “This sum- ring him in advance (06 08 99 02 01).
 January 2023 I French Living
Garden digest
Greenery in the frame
The image above of moss, ivy and ferns
is not a close-up polaroid from a mys-
terious forest, but the Green Elegance
“plant painting” (80x80cm, €369) by
French firm Greenalys.
The team of passionate gardeners hand-
crafts “small gardens” in white frames at
their Savoie atelier, using 100% natural
components that have had ‘stabilisation
treatment’ and thus require zero main-
tenance and yet retain their greenery
throughout the year.
The creations are available in square,
rectangle and round form. Price for
a 35x35cm Tableau végétal Green
Elegance, from €114.00.
Explore the various collections, as
well as roses, lichens and terrariums at
www.greenalys.com/en_GB.
Gardening jobs for December
Our regular reminder for canny garden-
ers and outdoor furniture hunters: many
French garden centres and bricolage (DIY)
outlets sell stock that is end-of-line or
reduced to clear, and in-store space means
that many offers are online exclusives, even
outside of official sales periods or ventes
privés (private sales). As we go to press,
for example, Castorama (www.castorama.
fr) has all manner of mowers, garden
chairs, outdoor paint and even chainsaws
with varying discounts. Type “destockage
jardin” into the website’s search box.
Second life for your sapin
Readers who stick to tradition and wait
until January 6 to take their Christmas
tree down might need alternative ideas to
simply throwing it away. Why not chop
it up and leave it in a quiet corner of the
garden, leaving it to decompose and com-
post, whilst providing a safe refuge for
small mammals and invertebrates (this
might take a year or two). For a much
quicker mulch, shred it.
Photo: Pixabay
connexionfrance.com
Photo: Greenalys
Photos Cathy Thompson
Viburnums for winter vibrancy
Cathy Thompson on a January favourite, plus the importance of Latin names
French garden diary
I
would love to take a walk at the
Welsh garden of Bodnant this
Insta-jardins January – just for the scent of
Instagram is a brilliant some of its most famous offspring,
place to enjoy other the three cultivars that form the
people’s gardens in hybrid group, Viburnum x bodnantense:
France, with everyone ‘Dawn’, ‘Deben’ and ‘Charles Lamont’.
from visitors to chambre For winter scent and long-lasting floral
d’hôtes owners posting display (although it does get knocked
seasonal snaps and back a little in frost), they are tops.
quirky updates from Ask your local population of Peacock
their gardens (users can butterflies: in fine weather they will be
search using the hashtag found feeding on a Bodnantense from
#jardins, #monjardin early February.
or #jardinage). This group of plants is unassuming –
A vibrant splash of paint twiggy and uninteresting during the
and Japanese design at summer months, so best kept to a wild-
Jardin Albert Kahn in ish shrub border – but they step forward
Boulogne-Billancourt, into the limelight during December,
Hauts-de-Seine taken by January and February, teaming perfectly
rebeccaparisienne with red-stemmed dogwoods, willows
and a carpet of purple hellebores. An
added bonus: they settle happily on most
soils and in most positions, although full
sun to dappled shade are preferred.
They only slowly reach their three-me-
tre height and spread after 10 to 20 years
and their rather unprepossessing profiles
are easily disguised if they are forced to
rub shoulders with hazel, forsythia and
other late winter to spring-flowering
shrubs in an informal setting. Make
more to maximise the joy in such posi-
tions: they are easily propagated from
softwood cuttings, 10 to 25cm long,
taken in mid-spring after flowering.
Although the hybridisation pro-
gramme between V. farreri and V. gran-
diflorum that gave rise to these winter
beauties was originally the brainchild
of a gardener called Charles Lamont at
the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, it was
Charles Puddle (second in a line of
three famous Bodnant head gardeners),
who actually birthed V. x bodnantense.
Don’t laugh, this line of Puddles were
weighty, important characters in the
twentieth century horticultural world –
they now have their own memorial
garden at Bodnant.
I have a weird personal link to this
famous Puddle, since one of my mentors
when I was a botanic garden trainee was
a devilish old gardener called Fred who
had been apprenticed to Charles back in
the late 1940s.
Fred would pass many happy hours
with me, pricking out and reminiscing
about Bodnant in its Lord Aberconway
heyday, when the large gardening team
would think nothing of transplanting a
massive azalea just a few metres.
Less inspirational to a young gardener
such as myself – but much funnier – he
also had a host of stories about how he
and the other apprentices would defy the
Puddle authority, sneaking naps in the
glasshouses and evading work at all cost.
As I enjoy ‘Charles Lamont’ (which has
the brightest pink flowers of the trium-
virate) this January, I’m reminded not
just of Bodnant and its famous Puddles,
but also of naughty Fred. (I try to forget
his ‘personal’ chemical cupboard, kept
locked, but whose contents nevertheless
managed to escape in small threatening
puffs. Less said about the toxic
cocktail of chemicals to which
those heroic early twentieth
gardeners were addicted,
the better.
They’ve gone and done
it again. Those ‘lumpers’
and ‘splitters’ – the peo-
ple in white coats who
like to ‘lump’ loads of dif-
ferent plant genera together,
or the others who like to ‘split’
them into increasingly smaller
“
An added bonus: they
settle happily on most
soils and in most
positions, although
full sun to dappled
shade are preferred
Gardening 7
Cathy’s own viburnum
pictured with a frosty jacket;
inset, below, Viburnum
Charles Lamont
groups, using hairline differences.
They’ve been at it since I was a horticul-
tural student, but with the advance of
genetics in the study of botany their
meddling has gathered pace.
I guess I’m a bit behind the times,
having only just noticed that as long ago
as 2019 rosemary slipped quietly from
its own genus into Salvia and is now
Salvia rosmarinus. Was it because of
Covid that I missed out on this
earth-shattering news?
But, finally, in autumn 2022, I caught
up. Read the Head of Horticultural
Taxonomy at the Royal Horticultural
Society’s apologetic words on the sub-
ject: “We understand everyone involved
in gardening finds name changes diffi-
cult, especially when they relate to pop-
ular and widely grown garden plants
such as rosemary. However, we cannot
ignore what science is telling us and
clarity on a plant’s DNA helps us to bet-
ter understand its growth habits and
cultural needs.”
I know that many of you out there
are profound refusers of Latin
names. But as someone who
has worked more than once
in foreign botanic gardens,
I can assure you that Latin
is indispensable if we want
to have meaningful conver-
sations with horticultural
friends from other countries.
In fact, the common name
‘rosemary’ doesn’t really pose
too many problems: it could pass in
Spanish (romero), French (romarin)
or Italian (rosmarino). But try using
souci – the French word for marigold –
in Germany where it is known
as ‘Ringelblumen’.
I guess, because I am someone com-
pletely committed to ‘talking plants’
in Latin, I just have to ‘suck it up’ (as
the Americans love to say). And I can
be reassured by the information that
if Rosmarinus had continued to be
recognised as a genus, this would
have necessitated changing the name
of over 700 Salvia species; whereas,
if rosemary slips quietly into ‘salvia-
dom’, we are looking at only 15 little
earth tremors.
8 Interview
Nutritional scientist
Serge Hercberg talks
to Théophile Larcher
about the Nutri-Score
system he developed
to simplify consumer
decision making, and
how food lobbies
continue to fight against
its implementation
N
ext time you meet someone
French, ask them if they
have heard of Serge
Hercberg. They will almost
certainly tell you that they
have not. The reason is because despite
infiltrating French people’s everyday lives
for the last 20 years through public health
advice on food packaging, he rarely
appears on our screens, except for
delivering TV voiceovers.
Serge Hercberg is the nutritionist and
epidemiologist responsible for what most
French people know as the “Five fruits
and vegetables per day” health advice,
and the Nutri-Score, a five-colour
nutrition label and rating system that is
designed to simplify the nutritional value
of products.
Dr Hercberg is one of France’s most
respected and high-profile researchers in
nutrition, a medical discipline that was
not even studied at university when he
was a student, and which he encountered
after practising in developing countries.
Over 40 years, Dr Hercberg has fought
to introduce nutrition into French
people’s lives. First by transferring the
authority of his Programme National
Nutrition Santé (PNNS, a national
public-health plan introducing the idea
of nutrition to French people) from the
Agriculture to the Health Ministry.
Then, by implementing the slogan
Manger cinq fruits et légumes par jour,
and removing vending machines in
high schools, two of PNNS’s principal
recommendations.
He is behind the green, orange and
red letters you see on the front of many
food items in French grocery shops
and supermarkets.
But his career is also profoundly
intertwined with lobbies of the food-
processing and agriculture industries
that have repeatedly undermined every
single one of the public health bills
he proposed.
He has just released Mange et tais-toi
(Shut up and Eat), a book describing his
fights against the food-industry lobbies.
It shows, with hindsight, that such
policies could have been implemented
years before they became codified in
law, the delay resulting from blocking,
legislative hurdles, and fake-news
campaigns that all tried to nip the
legislation in the bud.
Would you agree that you
became a nutritionist more
through chance than intention?
When I started my career, nutrition
was not even being studied. I first
encountered it through my medical
services in developing countries.
I wanted to heal people who were
suffering from diseases triggered by
poor nutrition, but also to understand
their causes, and how I could help both
in health and prevention terms.
connexionfrance.com
‘Consumers
want this
information.
It is a duty for
companies
to give it’
Which diseases were you hoping
to fight when you set up the PNNS?
There were nutritional deficiencies in
Africa but, conversely, developed countries
were battling chronic diseases such as
cancers, diabetes, hypertension, obesity
and cardio-vascular diseases. This was in
the 1970s, when science first started to
understand the part nutrition plays in
disease. There are multiple causes for these
diseases. There is a genetic factor, a biolog-
ical, and a metabolic one. But nutrition is
the one in which we can intervene the
most effectively. This is why I wanted to
explore it, because I thought it would have
the biggest impact on people’s lives.
Chronic diseases are caused by both
quantity and quality. Quantity, because
our calorie intake is greater than our body
needs, which is the result of a more seden-
tary lifestyle in which people rely more on
cars than walking, and when there is an
overall lack of physical activity.
Quality, because of the composition
of our food, which is mainly caused by
manufactured products that contain more
sugar, more saturated fat, and more salt.
How would you define
Nutri-Score and its function?
When you go food shopping, you walk
through a jungle of products. You can
choose according to your own personal
tastes, from packaging to prices. But one
piece of information is often missing:
the nutritional value of a product.
Until Nutri-Score, the only information
available was a nutritional chart explain-
ing in an overly complex way what the
product contained. This described in
many columns and lines the nutritional
value of an item in a way that made it
extremely difficult, or even impossible,
for consumers to understand.
French Living I January 2023
The idea is to transpose the information
using a simple logo ranging from A to E,
and in colours from green to red by way
of orange, to compare the nutritional
value of one product with a similar prod-
uct. The information is simple, synthetic
and based on science.
The information is easily accessible
because it is put on the front of the
packaging. It indicates the composition
of a product and helps the consumer to
make their decision. Consumers want
this information, and food-processing
companies have a duty to deliver it.
“
Are there common misconceptions
or ‘fake news’ over the Nutri-Score
that you want to dispel?
There are many, and they are mainly
pushed by lobbies from the food-process-
ing industry. They are always crafted
around a legitimate question, but twisted
into fake news. The main one is about
If a product Nutri-Score being calculated for 100g
portions, which is true. But there is a
has a D or E solid scientific explanation behind it.
Relying on portion sizes, like the manu-
score, this facturers do, is not reliable, because this
method does not take into account the
does not portion sizes consumed according to age
or gender. Manufacturers use it on
mean you purpose to complicate information. They
cite smaller portions on their packaging
should never to lower the number. Even though the
number they quote is lower, it does not
eat it. It just change anything when you scale it up.
Using the ‘100g’ method helps when
means that comparing two similar products.
it should be Cheese and olive-oil producers com-
plain that they will never obtain an
consumed in A or B score because of the nature
of their products, which harms sales.
moderation Nutri-Score does not position itself on
the health quality of a product. It does
not rank items between those which are
good and those which are bad. No con-
sumer has to choose a C-ranked olive oil
over a B-ranked breakfast cereal.
Olive oils ranked B are the best score in
that category because they contain natu-
ral fats and are more calorific.
What can you say to our readers
who moved to France to enjoy
its cheeses, when all their flavour
comes from the fat content?
Here’s the problem. If a product has a
D or E score, this does not mean that you
should never eat it. It just means that it
should be consumed in moderation.
These recommendations already existed
for wine and cheese before Nutri-Score.
Everybody is free to make their own
choices. If someone wants to eat two kilos
of Roquefort, it is their choice.
It seems that the companies
who reject the Nutri-Score system
are those selling sugary, salty or
processed products. Can I say that
any product without a Nutri-Score
is unhealthy?
Yes, you can say it. Nutri-Score was
blocked from being rolled out at a
European level because of legislation.
Only seven countries use Nutri-Score.
When I proposed it in 2014, no company
agreed. When it was finally adopted in
October 2017, only six companies put it
on their packaging.
Today, after intensive media coverage,
as well as strong demand from consum-
ers, 875 companies include the Nutri-
Score, that’s around 60% of the industry.
And who are the other 40%? Well, it’s
simple – companies like Coca-Cola,
Ferrero, Mondelez, Lactalis or Kraft
January 2023 I French Living connexionfrance.com Green news 9

Photos: Far left, Serge Hercberg; left, BearFotos_shutterstock; below left, Wikimedia Commons

Photos: Hyvia
Mayors in the market for
pioneering hydrogen bus

Emmanuel Boitier - Terre Sauvage Magazine

Food. Why do they oppose it? Because
their products are bad in terms of nutri-
tion and they are unwilling to display
their recipes to aid transparency.
If there is no Nutri-Score, it is safe to
assume that the company selling it has
something to hide.
Are you amazed by the difficulties
for enacting public-health laws?
I remain baffled by the extreme difficulty
– sometimes impossibility – in passing
public health laws. Even more so after
40 years in the business. We are talking
about serious diseases and personal
tragedies that affect millions of people.
Green news
On the (hydrogen) buses
HYVIA, the joint venture between French
vehicle manufacturer Renault and Plug,
a world leader in turnkey hydrogen and
fuel cell solutions, showcased its latest
hydrogen-powered minibus to France’s
mayors in November, at the annual
Salons des Maires in, Paris.
Public transport is the key target market
for the zero-emission Hyvia’s Master City
Bus H2-TECH, the first hydrogen urban
minibus in Europe. to be voted “The most beautiful tree in
The vehicle is manufactured in France France”. Hitherto unseen by the general
and set to be on the road by mid-2023. public, the tree is located in a private
It can carry up to 15 passengers (nine garden in St Pol de Léon, Finistère.
seated and six standing with easy and safe The manor house in whose garden it
Far left, Serge access for people with reduced mobility) grows dates back to 1638, so it is likely
Hercberg, the man and will run autonomously for about that the tree is at least 250 years old.
behind the Nutri- 300kms with five minutes refuelling time. Organised by Terre Sauvage magazine
Score system; above, Hyvia was named as one of 10 and the Office National des Forêts (ONF)
the design that “Important Projects of Common European since 2011, the “Arbre de l’Année” contest
simplifies consumer Interest”. “The hydrogen revolution is on,” rewards trees in France presented by indi-
decisions when fac- said its CEO, David Holderbach at the viduals or groups and are selected for
ing aisles of compa- launch of the firm’s Renault Master Van their naturalistic, aesthetic and historical

Nutri-Score does not exist in
the UK or US. However, the idea
was inspired by Oxford researchers.
Is this because of lobbies?
The UK developed the ‘Traffic Light’
system, which scores every food with
a three-coloured system – red, orange
and green. We took inspiration from it.
I would not say lobbies are more power-
ful there. It is a historical problem.
Traffic Light is not as clear and straight-
forward as Nutri-Score. If you take a
Coca-Cola drink, it will have one red
in the sugar category but three greens
in others, such as salt and saturated fat,
since it does not contain any.
How do you compare a product with
one red and three greens with another
that has four oranges? It does not bother
manufacturers as it makes things hard
to understand. British people wanted
a simpler system at the beginning, but
when the European Commission put a
halt to the single and uniform European
logo, they chose the traffic light system.
Like Nutri-Score, Traffic Light is not
mandatory in the UK. In the US, there is
no logo. There are charts with informa-
tion presented in a very complex way.
How would you qualify France’s
relationship with the food lobbies?
This is not specific to France but every
country. Any time a public health legis-
lation bill comes up against economic
interests, lobbies come into play.
The economic cost of obesity is cur-
rently estimated at €27 billion, and for
cancers, the cost is around €37 billion.
Despite all of that, despite all of our
scientific knowledge, we come to a
standstill because of economic forces
that are able to block, delay or kill any
project designed to assuage the problem.
What is the future of Nutri-Score?
Its algorithm will be updated in 2023, as
is the case every three years, to include
more scientific data from studies. Most
breakfast cereals will be downgraded,
likewise for meat. Grains will be upgrad-
ed, and olive oils will now achieve
B instead of C ratings.
But the European Commission is
considering a unique European logo.
Nutri-Score was the ideal candidate, but
lobbies mobilised again to defend their
products, hand-in-hand with lobbies
from charcuteries and cheese producers.
Italy, in particular, put itself at the
forefront of the battle, claiming that
Nutri-Score was a conspiracy to hinder
Italian cheeses such as Gorgonzola or
Pecorino. Telling them it is the same
for French or Danish cheeses has not
helped. Italy is like a juggernaut, able to
muster forces to circulate fake news
around Nutri-Score.
Nutri-Score was declared ‘too polaris-
ing’ by the lobbies. It worked. Nutri-
Score has been excluded from the
negotiation table. This is very worrying.
rable food items (top) H2-TECH at October’s Paris Motor Show.
Countryside threat at Plus Beau Village
The countryside view near one of France’s
best loved villages, St-Cirq-Lapopie in the
Lot, is under threat if a planned solar
panel park goes ahead on the river plain
below at the village of Tour-de-Faure,
say opponents.
TotalEnergie plans to install 44,000
solar panels on the village’s plain within
three years which, according to protest
groups, means nearly 7,000 trees would
be cut down. “It is a very old forest to
which we are really attached, and it is a
catastrophe to destroy trees at the time
when [public]policy says that it is neces-
sary to replant a billion of them”, said
Marie Cordié-Levy, member of the
environmental collective Lot Celé.
The elected officials who signed off the
deal said they have already succeeded in
reducing the size of the solar panel ‘park’
and had agreed camouflaging measures.
They said the project would provide
electricity for 15,000 people. “It’s a way to
contribute to the development of renewa-
ble energy and to reduce the carbon foot-
print,” said Patrick Teyssèdre, Tour-de-
Faure’s sans étiquette (independent/
non-party affiliated) mayor.
Breton beauty tree of the year?
An acacia tree in Brittany (pictured,
above right), with a trunk diameter meas-
uring over five metres, is in the running
“
The “Arbre de l’Année”
contest rewards trees
for their naturalistic,
aesthetic and historical
characteristics
characteristics as well as for the ties that
bond the individual/group to the tree.
14 regional candidates have made
the shortlist from a longlist of 150 trees,
with the public vote closing on January 4,
2023 at www.arbredelannee.com/liste-
des-nomines.
Alongside the public vote, experts will
pick their own favourite according to its
botanical interest or its history.
Other magnificent trees on the shortlist
include a chêne (oak) in Corsica, an hêtre
pleureur (weeping beech) in Hauts-de-
France, a ficus (weeping fig) on the island
of Guadeloupe, a cèdre (cedar) in
Nouvelle Aquitaine and a platane
(plane tree) in Pays de la Loire.
10 Nature connexionfrance.com French Living I January 2023

Eagles put on memorable display

Jonathan Kemp enjoys
a splendid – and tender –
display of avian acrobatics

W
e are at the time of year

Photo: Francine Terrier

when the largest birds
on the European conti-
nent are preparing for
next year’s nesting sea-
son, amazing as that might seem as winter Above: A Golden eagle in flight
is only just taking hold. Below: A Golden eagle on a goat carcass
However, these birds have months of care
before them, intense efforts to bring their
single chick successfully into the world,
feed and protect it until fledging, and then
teach it the skills that it will need to survive
and prosper to independence.
Above all, this is a schedule that applies to
the Bearded vulture (Gypaète barbu), but
they have large territories, and do not nec-
essarily choose a previous nesting site, so A sub adult Golden eagle – note the white patches on the tail and wings

Photo: Matthieu Vaslin

time needs to be spent carefully watching,
hoping to find where a resident couple is
going to settle. It might be the same site as
earlier in the year, but might not be –
different factors come into play which the
experts sometimes can only guess at, and
if a fairly regular watch has not been kept,
important clues can be missed.
Disturbance – often from human activity,
mainly accidental – is a major risk; weather
conditions too can play a part. These long
lived birds need to gain experience, and
often are not mature enough to successfully
breed in their first decade of life; they too
need to learn the location that works.
That was the principal reason why I,
ered talons; he dropped a little, twisting to
one side, before pulling back up so that the
two birds resumed the balanced formation
as before. In the ten minutes we watched,
of a Golden eagle is a flamboyant show of she did this three times; it was a dance, a
mastery of the air; as this, the royalty of display (parade), a delicate, slow tango of
birds, demonstrates to potential rivals and gentle intimacy and grace between two of
its mate a show of power, its dominance of the most magnificent birds in the whole
a territory. It will climb high in the air and avian world.
then, wings folded back, dive down in a Eagles are renowned for the ferocity with
series of looping switch backs, sweeping which they will defend a territory, they
back up again to about the same height; have the stare of a grim warlord, a fearsome
this is called ‘festoon’ in French. beak, massive power in the grasping talons,
I once watched fifteen of these dives, one the enormity of their presence - the wing-
after another, and it was awe-inspiring to span of a female can grow to two metres
stations, but rarely will give this to the
chicks. The other scavengers will give
way, but will try to make the eagle’s stay
as disturbed as possible – ravens even
coming from behind the tail of a feeding
eagle and pulling its tail feathers, before
leaping prudently away!
Even though the Bearded vulture has
nearly one metre more wingspan, it does
not have the weaponry that makes eagles
so formidable. If provoked, however, when
close to its nesting site, the Bearded vulture
will turn on its rival and drive it away, as
the photo below shows.

with a friend, was sitting on a hill side last
Sunday as the late afternoon light began to
fade with the sun setting behind the moun-
tains to the west. It had been a sunny day,
and the cliff face before us still radiated up
warm air thermals; coupled with a slight
but steady wind producing ideal flying
conditions for big raptors. They combined
to give one of the most wonderful avian
displays that either of us had ever seen,
and it should be said that my friend has
been avidly watching birds since she was
a young child, and is out nearly every day,
watching the skies.
Across the valley there appeared a huge,
“
see. It is said that the speeds reached can
exceed two hundred kilometres an hour.
You have to be lucky to see it.
The shape we were watching was so still,
motionless, that at first I could hardly
believe it was a real bird; not even stirring a
wing to keep itself poised in the air, neither
advancing or being blown back, a demon-
stration of absolute control. Then, just
above, was a second silhouette, even larger,
the female eagle likewise poised above her
partner, both so still that we didn’t need to
move our telescopes. Were they hunting,
scanning the slopes below them for a late
catch as the sun was setting? Well, it is a
thirty centimetres. But here we were watch-
ing another side of these birds, a tender-
ness, an intimate moment between a bond-
ed couple. I don’t know if this behaviour
has ever been seen by others; but we both
felt blessed to witness such a thing, and I
We both will never forget it.
There are plenty of videos on the internet
felt blessed that show the aggressive side of the species,
ready to battle with those awesome six
to witness centimetre talons (serres)over territory and
such a
food. Sometimes two eagles will lock talons
and spiral down towards the ground, only
thing, and I releasing at the last moment. These birds
have little to fear, they are apex predators,

will never
dark shape hanging motionless over the possibility, but what followed next but are often harassed by ravens and other Interaction between Bearded vulture
top of the peak in front of us. Not a convinced me that more was going on. corvids who fly behind and mob them as and Golden eagle; taken by Christian

forget it
Bearded vulture but a Golden eagle Very slowly, the larger bird drifted down soon as they are spotted. In winter the Couloumy in the Ecrins national park
(Aigle royale). Usually the display flight to touch the back of her mate with her low- adults will eat from carcasses on feeding in 2010

Christmas tree-carrying cart horses bringing traditional transport back to Savoie

“In the summer, from mid-May vice is so over-subscribed that there

Photos: Ville d’Aix-les-Bains

to mid-September we use them in is a waiting list for places.
Samantha David Aix-les-Bains to collect cardboard It isn’t simply nostalgia. Horses are

O
n Sunday January 8th,
2023, residents in
Aix-les-Bains (Savoie)
will be taking their
Christmas trees out to
be collected by a horse-drawn cart.
“It’s the 5th year we’re collecting the
trees,” says Patrick Gautier of Trialp,
the ‘entreprise d’insertion’ organising
the event. “We are also collecting trees
in Chambéry on 7th and 14th.”
The two geldings providing the
horsepower are called Capitole and
CasseCou. Both 14 years old, they
weigh around 650kilos each and
are Freibergers, also known as
Franches-Montagnes, a breed origi-
nally from Switzerland widely used
in the past as a draft and pack horse
by the Swiss army.
boxes from shops for recycling. The
person who actually throws the boxes
into the cart is the same person who
works with the lorry for the rest of the
year and he says when they see it’s a
horse, they turn the motor off, get out
and take photos. When it’s the recy-
cling truck, they hoot and shout.”
The same thing has been noted all
over France, as around 200 towns
have begun using horse-driven
vehicles. In Hennebont, Brittany, two
heavy horses, Dispar and Circus, pull
carts to collect rubbish, take children
to and from the canteen, the library
and after-school club, and take senior
citizens to the market.
In the summer, they offer sightsee-
ing rides to tourists. In Vendargues
(Hérault) two carts (called hippobuses)
take 120 children to five different pri-
mary schools each day. The free ser-
quieter and less polluting than trucks.
They also have less tangible benefits.
“Horses make social links. As people
come out to admire the horses and
pat them, they also talk to each other,
get to know each other. They smile.
Sometimes people who haven’t spoken
for months, will start talking to the
horses in whole sentences. The horses
bring joy,” says Patrick Gautier.
Councils have also noted that when
horses collect Christmas trees, people
put them out on time. When they do
polls, more people fill in forms if they
are distributed from a horse and cart. is less taxing than in the past. Our
Children attend school more regular- carts have the same brakes as vehicles,
ly. “More people put boxes out for and the combination of inflated tyres
recycling when we collect them with and tarmac roads means the work
horses. Horses also calm the traffic. is easier, and the horses, which work
Drivers slow down.” around two hours a day, are regularly
He points out that with modern checked by vets to ensure they are
equipment, the work for the horses in good health.
 January 2023 I French Living connexionfrance.com Cultural digest/Trending 11
Music party and Chantilly face

Photos: Filbing Distribution/Facebook

A round up of the arts and culture stories creating a buzz in France
1. Orchestra celebrates in style
A unique musical group from Chambéry
(Savoie) celebrated its 40th anniversary
in November with a celebratory concert.
The Tétras Lyre philharmonic
orchestra, which is comprised of 35
musicians with intellectual disability,
joined up with the Musiques en Fêtes
Examples of Filbing’s vending machine
including, below, one for a butcher
3. Prima ballerina leaves prime job
The world of ballet was in shock at the
news that François Alu will leave his role
as the danseur étoile (lead dancer) of
Paris Opera, just seven months after the
prestigious appointment and without
once dancing in a lead role.
Alu entered the Paris Opera Dance
School in 2004 and in 2010

1
Photos: Tetras Lyre/Facebook

joined its Corps de Ballet. He

has become more famous of
late in France since becoming
a judge on the primetime TV
show Dancing with the Stars.
In a statement, Alu said: “I decid-
ed to take back my full profession-
al freedom so that I can fully real-
ise my artistic aspirations.”
While some colleagues referred

Vending machines: a booming

to him as a ‘rebel’ Alu defended
such accusations, telling francet-
vinfo “I am absolutely not a diva”.

market for producers and buyers

orchestra and the Onde et Notes for the
show at the town’s Espace Malraux hall.
Jean-Paul Durix, president of the
orchestra, told local radio: “There is a
something that I often say: look at them,
close your eyes, listen to them and you
will not see the handicap anymore”.
Tétras Lyre (which translates as ‘Black
He also told radio station France
Inter: “It’s almost a philosophical
decision, I’m taking my life in my hands.”
4. Film fire accused on trial
At his trial for voluntary manslaughter,
In his latest look at how French society is changing, Théophile Larcher
endangerment of others and involuntary speaks to a leading player in the country’s vending machine industry
injury, French silent film restorer Serge
Bromberg accepted the blame for a fatal
2020 fire in his Vincennes (Val-de-
#trending

Grouse’) performs about a dozen times
a year and was created with the aim of
“offering a musical awakening and teach-
ing adapted to the intellectually handi-
capped for people whose handicap is too
severe to be welcomed in an ordinary
music school”.
The orchestra, which only has two sala-
F
Marne) building block. Two people died
in the fire, caused by the self-combustion
of hundreds of reels of nitrate film that rench people are doing more and more
he stored in the basement, without of their grocery shopping from vending
authorisation and in an unsuitable man- machines. This new trend – dubbed ‘vente
ner for such highly flammable items. en casier’ in French – has expanded most-
Bromberg will be sentenced in January. ly in rural areas and cities with fewer
than 100,000 inhabitants, and is seen as the result

3
Photo: James Bort / OnP

ried employees and relies heavily on vol-
unteers, has a repertoire of more than 80
pieces which range from classical music
to variety and jazz via traditional music.
2. Soap fans lament show’s demise
All across France – not just in Marseille,
where the show is set, albeit in a fictional
‘quartier’ – viewers lamented the axeing
of Plus Belle la Vie, the daily feuilleton
(soap opera) which aired for the last time
in November.
The show ran for 18 years, the equiva-
lent of 4,665 episodes and featured a
startling 3,200 characters. It was regular-
ly watched by up to 3million téléspecta-
teurs (viewers) who admired it for the
way it addressed societal issues including
abortion and gay marriage.
Early evening viewers who mockingly
dismissed the show by nicknaming it
“Poubelle la vie” will be less disappointed.
However, a spokesman from the mayor’s
office in Marseille said the show had pre-
sented a favourable image of the city.
5. Chantilly face and a pretty place
Heir to the Montmorency and Condé
families, Henri d’Orléans duc d’Aumale
(1822-1897) inherited the castle at
Chantilly (Oise). He took a keen interest
in photography, which first appeared in
1839, and by 1848 he was posing for the
best photographers around, including his
friend and fellow student, Viscount Vigier.
A new exhibition features not only
these portraits but also the Duke’s
personal collection of before and after
photographs of the extensive renovation
of Chantilly that he oversaw from 1875.
of small-business owners having grown dissatisfied
with big retail-stores’ partners and policies that
have squeezed their prices and margins.
This sense of regained independence and autono-
my ties in perfectly with the needs of customers
that are more aware of environmental-friendly
issues such as product traceability and low-carbon
footprint impact on the environment.
“I wanted to bring a solution so that producers
would be able to set their own price,” said Didier
Filbing, director of Filbing Distribution. His compa-
ny is one of France’s leaders in the sector with more
than 800 vending machines across France.
Le Casier Français, another leader of the industry,
did not respond to multiple requests for comment
on the story. The company’s revenues were estimat-
ed at €1.2 million in 2019.
Having launched his company in 2008, Mr Filbing
said he has seen between 20 and 30%-growth each
year from 2012 to 2021, in a market devoid of any
competitors until around 2014/2015.
Owners – mostly local farmers – fill ‘casiers’ with
their goods which often including eggs, meats, dairy
produce, fruits, vegetables or bread.
The sector’s growing success is attributed to the
fact that the casiers are open 24/7 and positioned
nology. 1,015 ‘casiers’ were listed on the application
as of early November 2022 (the application was
created in October 2019) and Mr Guichard says
that he updates the app in his spare time whenever
he can.
However useful, some owners have been miffed
by increasing thefts and acts of vandalism.
Le Cabacourt, a 24/7 vending machine in Saint-
Romain-de-Popey (Rhône), was robbed nine times
in 18 months, a recurrence qualified as “morally
exhausting” by the three owners.
Mr Filbing, when asked on the matter, suggested
that machines should be installed near villages and
not in plain fields and be placed at a 45 degree angle
from the road.
As for the future, the market may already be
showing the first signs of a slow down, as a number
of competitors have entered the scene with better
capital backing or by buying up companies.
Mr Filbing said he is now competing against 17
companies. The largely rural concentration of the
machines is starting to shift as companies install
more in larger cities.
Filbing Distribution opened casiers in Soissons,
Bordeaux and Rouen only very recently, Mr Filbing
having bought them back from owners who had

5
Photo: RMN/Grand Palais

along roads away from big retail stores, allowing
drivers to stop by and pick up products at any time.
Some owners have multiplied vending machines
and benefited from a financial bonanza – Séverin
Dubois, a farmer in Givenchy-en-Gohelle (Pas-de-
set them up before the trend really took off.
But others have turned to partnerships to keep
up with heavy demand from customers and to
ensure stable profits, turning to big retail stores
such as Carrefour, E. Leclerc and Auchan.

“
Calais), being one of them. He went from owning
50 to more than 200 casiers from 2016 to 2020.
Numbers of vending-machines are difficult to
estimate, The Connexion being unable to tally every
record from France’s many chambers of commerce.
Mr Filbing estimates that the count is somewhere
between 40,000 and 50,000.
The two main ‘convenience’ qualities for produc-
ers and shoppers have encouraged Simon Guichard, The largely rural concen-
a 35-year-old phone application developer, to create
Distrib, an application where people can add their tration of the vending
casiers. “Everything is closed when you camp in the
middle of nowhere at 11pm. We relied a lot on these machines is starting to
machines,” said Mr Guichard, adding that the idea
came while he was touring France on holidays. shift as companies install
The application shows users every machine in a
15-kilometre radius, thanks to geolocalisation tech- more in larger cities
12 Recipes
Classic charcuterie at ho
The new cookbook by Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts takes a loving
look at France's long tradition of charcuterie, examining the various
styles and presenting step-by-step guides to making them at home
P
âtés, terrines, sausages, rillettes, and farcis (stuffed
dishes) are all part of the big charcuterie family. In
their sumptuous new book, FERRANDI Paris
professionals share their secrets for successfully
making both classic and updated versions of these
iconic French preparations.
France has over four hundred charcuterie specialties –
nearly as many as there are cheeses or wines. Some are even
centuries old. While the book does not include certain
preparations intended for professionals (such as andouil-
lettes and cured meats), it contains many others that are
suitable for preparation in home kitchens. Here are the main
categories features.
Pies, tarts, and pâtés en croûte
Pâté literally means “cooked in a pastry crust (pâte).” The
original pâtés were always “en croûte,” akin to the English
pie, and were served either hot or cold. Over time, the
word evolved to designate the contents of the pie, without
the crust. This chapter includes preparations that reflect
the original meaning of the term: pâté en croûte, savoury
pies and tarts, pithiviers, coulibiac, and sausage in brioche.
These are sometimes categorized as “charcuteries pâtis-
sières” (i.e charcuterie-filled pastries).
Pâtés and terrines
The word “terrine” denotes a preparation that has been
cooked and chilled in a recipient of the same name, typi-
cally ceramic or porcelain – two materials that conduct
heat well. Terrines come in countless varieties: they may be
made with meat (pork, veal, poultry, or game), fish, or veg-
etables, and the texture can vary. Today, the terms terrine
and pâté are often used interchangeably for preparations
that were once baked in a pastry crust but are now cooked
in a terrine mould. Pâtés en terrine may be smooth (such
as liver pâté) or rustic (like country pâté), with larger piec-
es of meat. Terrines can also be pressed and weighted to
make them more compact, known as pressés in French.
The most famous pressés include Burgundy’s jambon
RABBIT RILLETTES
Rillettes de lapin
Serves 10
Active time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 1½ hours
Chilling time: 24–36 hours
Storage: 8 days in the refrigerator
Equipment
Fine-mesh sieve
Terrine mould in the size and capacity of your choice,
or small cast-iron Dutch oven
Ingredients
1 carrot
1 onion
150g smoked bacon
70ml olive oil
4kg rabbit, preferably Rex du Poitou, skinned and cut
into 8 pieces
50g wholegrain mustard
350ml Sauvignon Blanc
1 litre white chicken stock (fond blanc de volaille)
½ calf ’s foot
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped chervil
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
10 slices toasted country bread
2 oz. (50 g) lightly dressed mesclun greens
connexionfrance.com French Livin
persillé (ham and parsley terrine) and fromage de tête
(brawn or head cheese). Placing a weight on top releases
the juices, which set when chilled, resulting in a firm
texture suitable for slicing.
Rillettes and pulled meats and fish
Rillettes are traditionally made with meat – usually pork,
veal, or poultry – cooked slowly in duck or goose fat or
lard over many hours, until fall-apart tender. The meat
is then shredded, mixed with the cooking fat, and stored
in a mould. Rillettes have been appreciated in France for
their tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture since at least the
mid-eighteenth century.
This preservation technique has evolved to incorporate
fish and/or vegetables, using less fat and transforming the
ingredients into delicious spreads, often called effilochés
in French.
Stuffed dishes
The broad category of charcuterie also encompasses many
stuffed dishes, known as farcis in French – from the verb
farcir (to stuff). The charcutier’s typical stuffing – farce – is
made with ground meat, fish, or vegetables blended with
seasonings and sometimes a binding agent (usually bread,
egg, or a starch) and other flavourings. Highly versatile,
farce is one of the foundations of charcuterie. In the
“Stuffed Dishes” chapter, it is used to stuff poultry; pieces
of meat (in the case of paupiettes and ballotines, for
instance); seafood (such as stuffed squid); vegetables
(like zucchini); or even less popular cuts (including
duck necks).
Cooked charcuterie
Finally, charcuterie plays a starring role in many other rec-
ipes in this book, which also take advantage of all the cuts
of pork, veal, or beef – including cheeks, ears, tongues, or
feet, depending on the animal. These charcuterie-based
recipes not only reduce waste, but are also delicious.
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Peel and quarter the
carrot. Peel and finely chop the onion. Cut the bacon into
lardons. Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over high
heat and, when hot, brown the rabbit pieces all over. Add
the carrot, onion, and lardons, reduce the heat, and cook
until the vegetables are softened. Add the mustard and
cook until lightly browned. Deglaze with the wine and
reduce by a third. Add enough chicken stock to just cover
the meats and vegetables and bring to a boil. Add the
calf ’s foot, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and cook in the
oven for 1½ hours.
Selecting the meats
2. Carefully transfer the rabbit pieces to a plate and discard
the aromatics and calf ’s foot. Strain the pan juices Among the 350 breeds of pig classified worldwide,
through the fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and skim the about ten are produced in France, and most of this
fat off the surface (see Chefs’ Note). Taste, reduce the production (70 percent) goes to the French char-
juices further if necessary, and season with salt and cuterie industry. Classic breeds such as Large White,
pepper as needed. Remove the rabbit meat from the Landrace, and Duroc are particularly prized for their
bones, then shred it twice making sure all of the small yield. On a smaller scale, artisan charcutiers continue
bones have been removed. Place in a bowl and stir in the to make unique regional charcuterie specialties with
parsley, chervil, and tarragon until well mixed. local heritage breeds, including West French White,
3. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Spoon the Bayeux, Noir de Bigorre (also known as Gascon), Cul
rillettes into the terrine and cover with the pan juices. Noir Limousin, Kintoa (Basque black-pied pigs), and
Cover and let set in the refrigerator for 24–36 hours. Extracted from Nustrale from Corsica.
Charcuterie: Pâtés, The way in which animals are raised significantly
To serve Terrines, Savory Pies influences the quality of their meat. Pasture-raised
Serve on toasted country bread, topped with lightly dressed Recipes and Techniques pigs have healthier, more flavourful fat, which impacts
mesclun greens. From the Ferrandi School the overall taste of the meat, so purchase pastured
of Culinary Arts by pork products whenever you can.
Chef’s Note Ferrandi Paris Photo- For rabbits, poultry, and game, try to find artisan
To remove the fat more easily, chill the sauce so that the fat graphs by Rina Nurra producers. In all cases – whether using meat, fish, or
solidifies on the surface, then scoop it off using a spoon. (Flammarion, 2022) vegetables – be sure to use products at their prime.
ng I January 2023 connexionfrance.com Food notes 13

ome

Main photos: Anagoria/Wikimedia; inset, Wikimedia/Public domain

Escoffier's 1908
PORK LIVER PÂTÉ crafty creation was
Pâté de foie a far cry from simply
presented cuisses de
grenouilles, often
simply sautéed with
garlic and parsley

Disguised frog's legs and the

revenge dish best served cold
In our series chronicling lesser-known foodie tales,
we look at when Escoffier pulled a blague on the Brits
such was his amusement at their disdainful
nickname for the French.
Food notes

F
Contrary to perceived wisdom, the
Brits did not refer to the French as 'frogs'
irst prize for culinary japery merely because they enjoyed eating cuisses
goes to Auguste Escoffier, the de grenouilles (frogs' legs). It has a more
original 'masterchef ' born in convoluted origin – French aristocrats used
1846. Escoffier was, gastronomi- to refer to the patois spoken by more 'com-
cally speaking, a descendant of mon' inhabitants of the capital, specifi-
Marie-Antoine Carême, who had cally those who lived in a marshy
set out codes for haute cuisine, area called la Grenouillère, a
but Escoffier modernised frog-friendly area where the
them. He is noted for his Orsay Museum now stands.
work on the five 'mother Courtiers at Versailles
sauces' that sit at the root sneeringly referred to rev-
of so many classics, as olutionaries as frogs, and
Serves 12 Equipment well as introducing a more so then did French nobles
Active time: 1 hour Meat grinder + plate with ⅛-in. disciplined approach to the who legged it to London –
Marinating time: 24 hours (3mm) holes restaurant industry. and the nickname rubbed
Infusing time: 20 minutes Instant-read thermometer Escoffier became such a high off on highfalutin Brits.
Cooking time: 2¼ hours Food processor profile chef that the French press For his unsuspecting guests,
Chilling time: 2 hours Terrine mould in the shape of your dubbed him, just like Carême, "le roi Escoffier cunningly served up an
Storage: 10 days in the refrigerator choice, with a capacity of approximately des cuisiniers et cuisinier des rois" ("king of elaborate dish called Nymphe à l'Aurore
1.2 litres) chefs and chef of kings".) (Nymphs' legs at dawn), in which he dis-
And so it was, at a fancy Savoy Hotel ball guised the poached frogs' legs in a chaud-
Ingredients 40ml Madeira wine in 1908 for 600 guests, that he conceived froid sauce with tarragon leaves and a
400g pig’s liver 50g onion – perhaps in complicity with the Prince of thin chicken jelly film.
22g fine salt 600ml milk Wales – his 'revenge dish' for the British, Truly a revenge dish served cold!
4g ground white pepper 1 bouquet garni
6.5g muscovado sugar 900g soft fat from pork belly (gras de
2g smoked paprika mouille de porc)
1g quatre-épices spice mix 150g lightly beaten egg (about 3 eggs) Gadget inspector Now available
1g ground nutmeg Lard
1.5g ascorbic acid 200g jellied broth (optional)

Preparing the pâté (start 1 day ahead)

1. Remove the veins and connective tissue from the liver and cut into approxi-
mately 1½-in. (4cm) pieces. Season with the salt, pepper, sugar, smoked paprika,
quatre-épices, nutmeg, and ascorbic acid. Add the Madeira, press plastic wrap
over the surface, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The next day,
peel and finely chop the onion.
2. Place in a large saucepan with the milk and bouquet garni and bring to a boil, stir-
ring to prevent the milk from sticking to the pan. Immediately remove from the
heat, cover, and let infuse for 20 minutes. Cut the pork belly fat into 1½–2-in. (4–5
cm) pieces and blanch in a saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and grind
through the meat grinder fitted with the plate with ⅛-in. (3-mm) holes. Remove the Knives out for a lifetime's Give your mash a luxury lift
bouquet garni from the milk and let cool or reheat as needed to reach 140°F (60°C).
3. Place the liver and eggs in the food processor and process for 2 minutes. Add the worth of cutlery grandeur with truffle-infused olive oil
pork belly fat and process for 1 minute. Pour in the milk and onions and process Cutlery maker Verdier was established The French elevate simple mashed potato
to obtain a smooth mousse-like texture, ensuring the temperature of the mixture in 1859 near Thiers (Puy-de-Dôme), the into something far more rich and elegant,
does not exceed 113°F (45°C). undisputed French epicentre of quality not merely by passing it through a moulin
knives. Their artisans hand-turn elegant ta- à legumes (vegetable mill) for a velvety
Assembling the pâté bleware for all budgets, but especially use- texture, but also by adding oodles of butter
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease the inside of the mould with a thin layer ful for winter are their oyster knife (we are or quality olive oil. But wait... you can even
of lard and fill with the pâté. Bake in a bain-marie for 15 minutes, then lower the bang in the middle of oyster season) and take your purée to the next level by adding
oven temperature to 185°F (85°C) and continue to bake for about 2 hours, or until stylish sets of knives perfect for attacking a a few drops of olive oil infused with truffle.
the temperature in the centre of the pâté reaches 167°F (75°C). Let cool to room steak-frites. This stunning set of six Thiers Try iconic Provençal producer Château
temperature, then chill for 2 hours before serving. If you wish, you can glaze the knives with ebony handles costs €254.60 – d'Estoublon's oil (€30.50 for 50cl), which is
pâté with jellied broth heated to 167°F (75°C), before chilling. pricey but they will last a lifetime – from also great for risottos and pasta dishes.
retailers including Galeries Lafayette. shop.estoublon.com
14 Andouille
An acquired taste for serious sausages
The word “andouille”
denotes one of the
pillars of French
charcuterie. In
popular culture, it has
another, less flattering
significance, writes
Patrice Bertrand
T
o make good Véritable
Andouille de Vire, you must
never skip a step. “They’re
made entirely by hand and it
takes five weeks from when
the raw materials are received to when
the final product is sold. It’s a speciality
that requires time and know-how”.
In Le Teilleul, in the Manche depart-
ment, an hour east of Mont Saint-Michel,
Philippe Quinton, director and owner of
the Jacky Leduc company, could talk for
hours about his andouilles de Vire, his
flagship product, alongside pâtés, boudins,
rillettes and hams. He mentions proudly
that this year they were awarded best real
Vire andouilles by the Confrérie de la
Véritable Andouille de Vire, based in Vire.
In this Calvados town and its region,
a scant half-dozen manufacturers try,
against all odds, to perpetuate the survival
of the most ancient charcuterie (prepared
meat product) of Normandy whose
smoked taste is distinctive.
“There is andouille and andouille,” says
Philippe Quinton, whose company has 35
employees. “To make real Vire andouille,
there are about forty steps, all important.
“
Smoking, for fifteen days, with beech
Deeply rooted in
France and little
consumed elsewhere,
andouille is a sausage
prepared, partially or
entirely, from pork
“ventrée” (intestines
and stomach)
wood is particularly crucial. This produces
its smoky taste and black colour. It’s a
delicate operation: the wood can’t be
too dry or too green, or you ruin
the andouilles.
“Everything depends on
the smokehouse operator,
who has no gauge regulat-
ing temperature or humid-
ity, only experience. You
must know how to smoke
in summer, winter, when it’s
cold, when it’s dry.
“Smoking must be regular and
continuous, you can never stop. It’s
hard work, but andouille is part of
our culture.”
Deeply rooted in France and little con-
sumed elsewhere, andouille is a sausage
connexionfrance.com
prepared, partially or entirely, from pork
“ventrée” (intestines and stomach) and
usually smoked. An acquired taste, but
like tripe, boudin or andouillette (small
unsmoked version of andouille) and other
staples of French charcuterie, andouille
has many enthusiasts.
Among the notable: in June 2014,
for the 70th anniversary of D-Day, five
great French chefs were asked to propose
several possible menus for the meal for
Heads of State. French President François
Hollande chose the one with andouille
de Vire.
Around 6,000 tonnes of andouilles are
annually produced in France and there
are almost as many varieties as there are
regions. But those of Vire, in Calvados, in
Normandy, and Guéméné, in Morbihan,
in Brittany, geographically very close, are
considered pillars of this French speciality,
their reputation extending far beyond
their production area.
Vire andouille, whose recipe appears
in the Code des Usages de la Charcuterie,
the Bible of professional pork butchers
in France, is specifically composed
of stomach (called “panse”), small intes-
tine (“menu”) and large intestine (“chau-
din”). That of Guémené, a speciality of
Guémené-sur-Scorff, in Morbihan, uses
only the “chaudin”. Apart from this differ-
ence, the production process is similar:
salting, assembling, smoking with beech
wood, drying and cooking.
Externally, these andouilles look
alike: a Guémené or a Vire
weighs around 600 grams, is
25-30 cm long and 4-6 cm
in diameter. Inside howev-
er, the two differ when
sliced: the Vire has darker
marbling and colour, with
the different entrails in its
composition clearly visible,
whereas the Guémené has
concentric circles. Lastly, the
taste of the Guémené is stronger
than the “Vire”.
In Guémené-sur-Scorff, Benoît Rivalan,
the charismatic owner of Maison de
l’Andouille, the Mecca of Guémené
French Living I January 2023
Quinton. “The greatest reward is when
Photos: Office de tourisme de Vire/Jacky Leduc/Antoine Duchêne
people visit our workshops and say: ‘It
reminds me of what our parents or grand-
parents used to make.’ If you eliminate the
five-week manufacturing process and
make your andouilles in an industrial
cell, you lose the quality.”
Defending this quality has a price:
around €40 per kilo, or more, for real
Vire and Guémené andouille. “If you are
offered a real andouille from Vire at €20
per kilo, it isn’t a real andouille,” says
Philippe Quinton, who sells his andouilles
in regional butcher shops and supermar-
kets but also in the shop next to his facto-
ry. “This high price is partly due to low
yields: when you buy 100 kg of pork belly,
it yields 20 to 25 kg of finished product.
So, there aren’t enough pig farms or
slaughterhouses around Vire to supply
production.”
This is why Vire and Guémené
andouilles don’t have the coveted PDO
label and, in theory, can be made any-
where. “Since we must source our pork
from other regions, we cannot guarantee
regional or local origin of raw materials”,
says Philippe Quinton.
“Our Breton neigh-
bours, with the
andouille de Guémené,
have the same prob-
lem. Fortunately, other
labels recognise our
Above and inset, andouille, explains: know-how and prod-
below, andouille “To make our uct’s quality.”
de Guémené; right, andouilles, the Confronted with
preparing a veritable cleaned pork intes- industrial manufactur-
andouille de Vire tines are sorted, from ers who import cheap-
narrowest to widest er casings from
diameter, and threaded one by one, in Eastern Europe, pre-threaded, ready to
order of diameter onto a “coeur” made cook and smoked in express tunnels, the
of thin strips. This creates the distinctive Rivalan-Quidu family, which runs Maison
concentric circles of andouilles de de l’Andouille, has found a way to avoid
Guémené.” For the andouille de Vire, “the confusion with industrial “Guémené” by
casings are cut into strips and then stuffed calling their own products “Andouilles
in another casing called the robe,” explains de Guémené-sur-Scorff ”. To defend his
Philippe Quinton. “We thus obtain raw andouilles, Benoît Rivalan also offers this
andouilles, or ‘green andouilles’ which are valuable advice: “Beware of size! The big-
smoked for 15 days, followed by a week ger the andouille, the worse it is.”
of ageing. Then they’re desalted, cooked
in court-bouillon, cooled and packaged.”
These andouilles lend themselves
to many recipes. Since they’re already
These processes, which require patience
and know-how, are ancestral: making
cooked, they can be eaten directly, thinly
sliced, as a snack or aperitif. In Breton
andouilles is documented in France at
least as early as the late Middle Ages.
crêperies, Guémené andouille is eaten
in buckwheat crêpes. Warmed, it can be
The first known recipe is mentioned in
1393 in the Ménagier de Paris, the famous
served with mashed potatoes, accompa-
nied by a glass of cider.
manuscript on home and culinary eco-
nomics. As proof of their importance in
In Normandy, andouille de Vire is often
served with local products such as cam-
French culture, the 16th century writer
François Rabelais immortalised them in
embert or calvados and also goes well
with salmon, sweetbreads or puff pastries.
Pantagruel’s adventures with the famous
“War of the Andouilles”. Moreover, the
It is found in many fine restaurants
of Brittany and Normandy. In Vire,
word “andouille” has become part of
everyday language and lightheartedly
Julien Guérard, chef of the Manoir de la
Pommeraie restaurant, has created a beef
designates an imbecile or an idiot. millefeuilles with andouille, while in
It’s found in the expressions “faire Argentan, Catherine Coiffard’s speciality,
l’andouille” (fool around) or “pris pour from La Table de Catherine, is tarte fine
une andouille” (taken for a fool), which with Vire andouille and Camembert.
are still widely used. In Normandy, apart from five large
In the 1980s, the satirical newspaper manufacturers, only a few butchers or
Le Canard Enchaîné nicknamed the politi- charcutiers making genuine andouille
cian Olivier Stirn, former mayor of Vire de Vire remain. In Guémené, the situation
and Parliament Member for Calvados, is similar. “The tradition is being lost”,
“l’andouille de Vire” (The idiot from Vire). says Philippe Quinton. “However, there’s
And, last March, during the award cere- a sustained demand for these local prod-
mony for the “Véritable andouille de Vire”, ucts. We believe in Vire andouille. Our
Roger Gaignon, Grand Master, mischie- mission is to convert people and let them
vously declared: “Anyone can make taste a real andouille de Vire so that they
andouille [fool around]. But making real realise it’s a quality product.”
andouille de Vire is another story!”. One thing is sure, it takes a lot of guts to
Andouilles’ precious cultural heritage is make andouille.
no joking matter for the producers. “We
fight every day to preserve the traditional www.jackyleduc.fr
production methods,” says Philippe www.andouille-guemene.com
January 2023 I French Living connexionfrance.com Wine and Cheese 15

GAEC Rodary
Vineyard yields: it’s quality v quantity
Vigneron Jonathan Hesford looks at why regulating grapes on a bunch is so crucial

Images: Jonathan Hesford

Cheese of
Meet the producers the month:

G
wenäelle and Julien Rodary Abbaye de Tamié
produce cheese at the
Fromagerie l’Ambertoise near
Ambert in Auvergne (63).
Photo: Tangopaso/Wikimedia

“Our dairy farm has been

in the family for three generations,” says
Gwenäelle. “But in the past we only pro- yard, the more competition there is decision on how hard to prune the vine
duced milk. It was only when we realised between them for water, nutrients is down to the individual farmer. An
A year in the vineyard

that no-one in Ambert was actually mak-
ing ‘Fourme d’Ambert’ that we decided to
start making cheese.”
Fourme d’Ambert is the mildest of all the
blue cheeses, with a rich creamy flavour.
In supermarkets it is sold in circular slices.
The blue colouring is achieved by mixing
the milk with ‘Penicillium roqueforti’ a
fungus derived from rye. The cheese is
always made from whole cows’ milk, from
herds which spend at least 150 days a year
pastured outdoors.
Having started the ‘fromagerie’ the
couple quickly added other cheeses to
their products; St Nectaire Fermier AOP,
Le Petit Marcel (a small fresh cheese),
Tomme des Neiges, Tomme Fourme, plus
various flavours of fromage frais including
garlic and red pepper, pepper, and garlic
and herbs. Now they also make yoghurt.
“We have a boutique at the farm which is
open six days a week all year long. We sell
our cheeses and yoghurts as well as local-
ly-produced honey, beer, charcuterie, jams,
syrups, and locally grown-fruit and vege-
tables. We are only 2km outside Ambert,
so we have a lot of regular local customers.
We also get a lot of tourists in the summer
and the school holidays when people come
to their second homes.”
They do not sell online. They supply to
local school canteens and hospitals, plus
Y
Beer, spirits, cheese... ield is the amount of wine
monks have a long history that is produced by a certain
of using their quiet time to number of vines or a certain
make produce to sell. size of vineyard. In France it
In the case of Notre- is usually expressed in hecto-
Dame de Tamié – a raw litres of finished wine per hectare of vines.
milk cheese made by Trap- In the New World, people talk about tons
pist monks at the Abbey of per acre or tonnes per hectare.
the same name, 900metres Essentially it is the same measurement
up in the massif des Bauges because the amount of wine that a kilo of
in the French ‘pre-Alps’ grapes produces is fairly constant. It is
– cheesemaking actually about 660ml of white wine or 750ml of
saved the community back red wine. There are two reasons for the
in the late 19th century. difference, both because of the way the
Its orange rind is covered wines are made. White wine is made by
with a fine white down and pressing grapes as soon as they are picked
the cheese comes in two whereas red wines are pressed at the end
forms: Abbaye de Tamié of fermentation. White grape juice is
Le Véritable (1.4-1.5 kg), cold-settled before fermentation so that
sold whole or slices and the cloudy sediment can be discarded and
Abbaye de Tamié Le Petit, the wine made from clear juice. Large
(500-600g), sold whole. wineries attempt to recuperate some juice
Enjoy either melted or from the sediment using filters but for
at the end of a meal. smaller ones it’s often not worth the effort.
In recent years a new method of remov-
ing the solids from white juice has been
Local speciality: developed which involves adding a floc-
culent to the juice, bubbling carbon
Moricette dioxide and skimming off the scum that
forms. However, it is regarded as a meth-
Photo: Arnaud 25 / Wikimedia
and sunlight.
Every Appellation (AOP) in France has
a limit on the hectolitres per hectare
allowed in order to maintain a minimum
quality level. However, higher-quality
independent producers will often have
yield levels lower than the AOP limit as
they want their wines to stand out.
Indication Geographique Protégée (IGP)
wines have much higher yield limits and
Vin de France has no limit. Those wines
also allow irrigation to boost yields
whereas vineyards making AOP wines
cannot be irrigated.
Yield is important because the vine, left
to its own devices, would produce more
grapes than it could ripen to the level
required to make wine. Vignerons need to
force the vine to over-ripen its fruit to a
point where the sugar levels are high and
the acid levels low so that we can make
wine from the grapes without having to
add sugar or de-acidify the juice.
Secondly, vignerons want all the grapes
in the vineyard to ripen to the same level
at the same time so that they can accu-
rately pick the harvest date and be sure
that there won’t be much variation. The
more bunches of grapes a vine
produces, the more uneven the
ripening will be between
them and the more unbal-
estate which makes its own wines and
aims for quality will prune hard to keep
the number of bunches low whereas a
grower aiming for higher yields will
prune more lightly, leaving more buds
from which the shoots grow. Among
vignerons a common question is “Est-ce
que vous taillez court ou vous taillez
longue?” as a euphemism for “Are you
growing for quality or quantity?”.
However, overly-heavy pruning can lead
to more leafy growth, which will encour-
age fungal diseases and shade the grapes
from the sun. There is a limit to how
much vignerons can reduce yield to
achieve optimal ripening. Beyond a cer-
tain point, it just means having less wine.
The terroir of the vineyard will have an
impact on yield. Wine growers don’t want
rich soils, plots with heavy clay or areas
with high rainfall. Low vigour soils are a
hallmark of quality in wine and many
books have been written about the inher-
ent qualities of stony, rocky terroir.
Some vignerons brag about having very
low yields to justify the price of their
wines, when in reality the yield is only
low because of many dead and dis-
eased vines in their vineyard.
The aim of controlling
yield is to balance the
amount of fruit to the

restaurants all across France. “It’s a selling od for low-medium quality wines. Also, anced the resulting wine capacity of the vine to
point that we are the only cheese-makers the amount of liquid that you can press will be. ripen it. That capacity is
in Ambert, and one of only nine farms from fermented grapes is higher than This also applies to indi- determined by the health
who make ‘Fourme d’Ambert fermière’ from fresh ones. vidual grapes in the bunch. and root structure of the
in the country. What you find in super- Some argue that measuring yield for a The bigger the bunch, the vine and the fertility of the
markets is ‘Fourme d’Ambert laitière’ given surface area of vineyard is inaccu- more difference there will be soil. Pruning, terroir and
which isn’t the same. rate because vines can be planted at differ- in ripeness between grapes. That the age of the vine can all help
It takes five days to make a Fourme ent densities from as low as 3,000 up to is why bunches of varieties for mak- get that balance but sometimes
d’Ambert, rolling, adding salt, and prick- 10,000 vines per hectare. Dry regions tend ing quality wines are smaller than the vigneron will need to do other things
ing the cheese to allow oxygen to react to have low planting densities. They say bunches of table grapes. Generations like planting cover-crops down the rows,
with the ‘Penicillium roqueforti’. It is then that kilos of fruit per vine is a better meas- of vignerons have selected and crossed judiciously ploughing the soil, trimming
matured for 45 days. “Obviously we have A pretzel-style loaf used as ure. However, the more vines in a vine- grapevines to create varieties with the shoots or removing bunches early in

“
to taste it to check the flavour!” a vessel for tasty sandwich small bunches. a “green harvest”.
Customers can either buy a whole cheese fillings in boulangeries in The most highly-regarded grapes, All those extra things cost money, so
(approximately 2.2kg) or just buy a slice. Alsace, the Moricette is a known as noble varieties, such as having perfect terroir is an advantage. I
“My favourite relatively recent doughy Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, would go so far as to suggest that the role
way to eat it is development. It was Chardonnay and Pinot noir have smaller of terroir in reducing the amount of work
with the jams invented back in 1975 bunches than those destined for lesser a vigneron has to do, allowing them more
specially made by Dornach (Mulhouse, wines like Colombard, Ugni blanc (AKA time and money to spend on equipment,
for accompa-
nying cheese.”
Haut-Rhin) baker Paul The main method Trebbiano) and Aramon. It’s a complete
misconception that big bunches of grapes
barrels and marketing, is its main benefit.
More important than its supposed
Poulaillon – said to have
Flavours been inspired to become a of restricting yield is will make great wine. impact on the flavour of a wine. But
include fig, boulanger after a sensory The main method of restricting yield that is a subject for another article.
white wine, epiphany at his local bak- to prune the vine in is to prune the vine in winter to limit
and mango. ery as a child – who made the number of new shoots it grows. Each Jonathan Hesford has a Postgraduate
a trademark claim on his winter to limit the shoot normally only produces one or two Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology from
fromagerie recipe. It was originally bunches. There are a number of different Lincoln University, New Zealand and is
lamberto. made with pork fat but this number of new pruning techniques used in France, the owner, vigneron and winemaker of
wixsite.com/ was replaced with colza depending on region and grape variety, Domaine Treloar in the Roussillon.
ambertoise (rapeseed) oil. shoots it grows but the aim is the same. However, the www.domainetreloar.com
16 Interiors
A user’s guide to French Alpine chic
In the second of our
seasonal guide to
mountain interiors,
Morzine interior
architect Kyles Garrett
has advice for readers
wishing to undertake
an Alpine project
S
oon after settling in Morzine in
2002, Kyles realised many Brits
were buying property locally but
struggling either to navigate the
build process, or to communi-
cate their interior-design ideas to local
tradesmen and suppliers. Given her project
background and masters in design, she
set about building a company, shep&kyles
design to bridge this divide.
Describe the kind of projects you undertake.
We help our international clients in two
main areas; managing their new-build or
renovation project on the ground, and
working with them on the interior-design
and interior-architecture.
What are the specific challenges when
working on mountain projects?
Our designs have to be not only beautiful
but also functional: ensuring the building
works at a practical level given the harsh
climate, and accommodating the equip-
ment and facilities required in a luxury
chalet for discerning owners and year-
round sporting activities.
What current trends in Alpine interior
stylings can you identify?
Well, orange “tongue & groove” cladding is
definitely out, replaced by wide aged-pine
planks or shades-of-grey painted walls.
Large-format tiling is popular, with glass
and metal features complimenting the
traditional wood. Elegant but cosy furnish-
ing classics combine with chunky wool
knits, faux-fur and leather to bring a more
contemporary feel. The Alpine aspect is
mostly brought in through the huge picture
windows, reinforced by striking moun-
tain-themed artwork and photography.
How important is it for you to source local
materials and employ local artisans?
We like to use traditional materials so that
our chalets reflect the local region – lots of
aged-pine (vieux bois) and locally sourced
slate details. This is the Savoie part of our
“Savoie-Chic” style. We find our local
artisans to be exceptionally skilled and
professional, and enthusiastic once they
understand what our clientele desire. They
connexionfrance.com
take enormous pride in what they do, and
willingly support their work long beyond
the handover and final invoice.
If our readers are keen to undertake a moun-
tain chalet new build or renovation, what
three key things do they need to consider?
1. Purpose. Do you want the property
purely for skiing, or more as a year-round
mountain home? An apartment close to
the ski-lifts in a high-altitude resort is
a completely different experience (and
price per square metre!) to a chalet on the
valley floor. For maximum usability as a
second-home, being close to a well-con-
nected airport makes all the difference.
2. Time scale. Allow plenty of time to find
the right property, and the best people
to do the work. Reputable constructeurs
(new-build) and artisans (renovations)
tend to be booked up many months
in advance.
3. Personal involvement. Do you have the
time and skills to make regular site-visits,
manage the day-to-day decision making,
and coordinate a coherent design scheme?
If not, then an “off-the-peg” property is
one solution, or otherwise entrusting
an experienced local company to deliver
the bespoke chalet
of your dreams
makes sense.
If they are on the
lookout for an old
barn or farmhouse to
renovate, what advice
would you offer?
Old barns and farm-
houses often have
the best locations,
and make wonder-
fully character-filled
homes! However, it
takes time, money
and skill to turn one
into a modern and
French Living I January 2023
Above and right: comfortable residence
The Penthouse without destroying the
features plenty of original features. We’ve
contemporary Alpine seen many amazing
ambience; below old properties ruined
left, No.5 in the by unsympathetic
resort of Les Gets, “renovation” by local
with its very cosy, contractors – you really
family-oriented must be inventive in
interior integrating the features
into the new design,
and robust in persuad-
ing the builders not to
demolish everything!
How does your approach
differ between a renovation and a new-build?
The regulatory framework means that
new-build chalets more or less have to
be headed up by a French architect, who
arranges and manages the project manager
and contractors. We are brought onboard
either by the owner or the architect as a
consultant, as interior architect and often
interior designer.
For renovations typically we head-up the
whole project, using an architect as a con-
sultant where necessary, but completing
the design and organising the build team
ourselves. In both cases we ensure that the
materials and products agreed with the
client are included in the contracts signed
between the owner and contractors.
Tell us about some of your projects.
“The Penthouse” is a generous five-bed-
room luxury new-build apartment. The
clients wanted a large property close to
the ski-lifts, so they purchased off-plan
the two top-floor flats of new apartment
block, and we combined them to create
one opulent penthouse.
Prior to construction starting, they
www.shepandkyles.com engaged shep&kyles design to re-imagine
Instagram: shepandkyles the layout; and to up-spec the standard
Photos by Neil Sharp, turn-key finish offered by the constructeur.
www.sharpography.co.uk We then focused on using the interior
Photography by Neil Sharp, www.sharpography.co.uk
styling to accentuate the exposed-beam
pitched-roof structure, and give the proper-
ty a more contemporary alpine ambience.
“No. 5” is situated in the charming
ski-resort of Les Gets. Our brief was to
create a cosy and family-oriented alpine
interior, perfect for our clients and their
young family. We used a neutral colour
palette, teamed with opulent faux-fur
rugs and high-end furnishings. We
worked extensively on the lighting-
design, specifying some beautiful
bespoke luminaires as centrepieces
for this gorgeous chalet.
Do you have some advice for readers who are
keen to create an authentic Savoyard look –
name five unmissable elements to include.
Savoyard architecture is based around
locally available materials: stone, slate,
and coniferous timber (pine, larch, Doug-
las fir). All feature heavily in a Savoyard
interior, along with a large stone fireplace
often fitted with a cast-iron log-burner.
Interior decoration is simple and func-
tional – wooden furniture, faux-fur and
sheepskins, chintzy prints and stuffed-
animals on the walls.
We tend to be a little more contempo-
rary on our designs, and stay away from
reindeer antlers and taxidermy!
January 2023 I French Living
Bring up the bodies in Saint-Quentin
Medieval art historian Dr Julia Faiers
discovers the grisly past of Saint-
Quentin’s basilica in the Picardy
town of the same name
C
onsidering Saint-Quentin
(Aisne) takes its name from a
real person, it would be rude
not to delve into the history
of its early Christian patron
saint and namesake. Christian martyrs
from this period often endured hideous
tortures before being dispatched finally
to the heavenly ether, but Quentin truly
out-martyrs them all. Leafing through
the town library’s fully digitised
twelfth-century manuscript of Quentin’s
life (see tinyurl.com/3f35ys9x), it becomes
clear that the saint, who evangelised this
part of France in the third century, put up
with more than most.
Each manuscript page reveals one
horror after another: his torturers tried
to drown him, hang him, flay him, boil
him in oil, hammer nails into each of his
fingernails, burn him with torches, break
his arms while hanging on a crucifix, and
more! Eventually they lopped his head
off with a sword and threw him into the
river Somme. And throughout all this,
the manuscript depicts the often-naked
Quentin as appearing only mildly miffed.
What a saint! But that is not all. Fifty-
five years later, his head and body were
retrieved from the river, completely
un-decomposed. The least the local folk
could do was to build a sepulchre to
mark the miracle. And on this spot
stands the basilica of Saint-Quentin.
Just as the unflappable Quentin rose up
phoenix-like after every gruesome attack
on his body, so does the church built
over his tomb appear to have experienced
several rebirths. Archaeologists have
found evidence of a primitive church
built on site at the end of the fifth century
which was burned down by Vikings, then
another replacing the original in the first
half of the ninth century. In the twelfth
century, the canons of the collegial
church of Saint-Quentin then attempted
to out-do the local bishops by building
a new church that would be bigger and
more beautiful than the neighbouring
cathedrals of Noyon and Soissons, a
task which took them around three
centuries. They failed to finish the
project completely, however, due to
ongoing cashflow problems.
Invading Spanish forces in 1557 at the
Battle of Saint-Quentin inflicted yet more
4
connexionfrance.com Hidden histories 17
1
damage. A devastating fire in 1669 and
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Pierre Poschadel, CC BY-SA 4.0 license
explosives detonated during the Great
War left the grand old dame in ruins.
German prisoners of war and French
volunteers helped to move the rubble
after the war. Then up she rose again,
reconstructed from 1919 to 1930 until
she came close to resembling her
former self, an immense basilica with
dimensions comparable to the cathedral
of Notre-Dame in Paris.
A crypt under the choir, built in the
ninth century to house the tombs of
Saint Quentin and two other martyrs,
was another casualty of German mines
during WW1. An archaeological dig
conducted in the early 2000s revealed
that the crypt had housed three niches
on its western wall, each holding a sar- 2 3
cophagus. The tombs of Saints Cassian
and Victoric, both destroyed in the war,
were probably made and installed in the
ninth century. The tomb of our hardy
friend Quentin, however, is considerably
older, hailing from the time when
Romans still lived in the area. Quentin’s
sarcophagus seems to have been made
from a column of white marble intended
to decorate a Gallo-Roman building,
sawn in half lengthways and hollowed
out to accommodate the saintly remains.
The only reason this precious relic of
late antiquity survived is because at the
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, JojoMarg, CC BY-SA 4.0 license
start of the war the Germans evacuated it
to Maubeuge, close to the Belgian border.
The three early Christian martyrs are
not the only remains buried on the site of
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
this remarkable church. An archaeologi-
cal dig which began in March 2022 in the
area immediately surrounding the basili-
ca has revealed the existence of a cloister
probably from the fourteenth century
or even earlier. The cloister’s central
courtyard, like others of the period,
was the chosen burial place of many of
its monastic inhabitants.
There, archaeologists have very recently
5
discovered a wonderfully preserved tomb 1. The basilica of Saint-Quentin (south elevation), showing
slab with an engraved image of its occu-
the modern reconstruction of the façade at the west
pant. The inscription around the effigy of
the canon tells us that he died in 1305 end, and the area around the church – the parvis –
and was the chaplain of the church of which is currently being regenerated.
“monseigneur Quentin”. This basilica, 2. Illustration from the twelfth-century manuscript,
built to venerate the remains of a martyr
the Vita et miracula of Saint Quentin, (Bibliothèque de
who refused to die, continues to unearth
the secrets of its past… Saint-Quentin), describing the miraculous discovery of
the saint’s decapitated body, which remained completely
intact (head notwithstanding) 55 years after his martyr-
dom. Those medieval fish were certainly bloodthirsty.
3. The sarcophagus of Saint Quentin, made in the eighth
century from a column originally intended for a Gallo-
Roman building. History tells us that the tomb is almost
as resilient as the saint whose remains it once housed.
4. An archaeological dig conducted by INRAP (Institut national
de recherches archéologiques préventives) in 2022
Photo: Luc Couvée, Ville de Saint-Quentin
Photo: Luc Couvée, Ville de Saint-Quentin
revealed the well-preserved tomb of a chaplain of the
church who died in 1305. The slab still bears traces of
the red paint used to highlight the engraved effigy of
the deceased.
5. Detail of number 4, effigy of the chaplain who died
in 1305.
18 Puzzles connexionfrance.com French Living I January 2023

Bilingual cryptic crossword by Parolles

Answers are in French and English
Across
1 Manage to grab piece of pie then run from
policeman (6)
4 Thoughtful French writers on famous
Kipling poem (6)
8 Stopped working and went to bed (7)
9 Revolutionaries a short distance behind
Commanding Officer? That’s scary at
the outset (7)
11 Not stupid to collect silver when
fashionable (3,3,4)
12 Bishop leaving note in Richelieu’s dream (4)
13 Odd pieces of Brie before a drink in Lyon (5)
14 Man Utd owners employ independent
workers who set glass into windows (8)
Down
1 Native American left with
fish basket (5) ?
2 Peter surprisingly welcoming trendy French
painter (7)
3 Level space needed by hospital department
for event in Nantes (9)
5 Italian novelist seen at extremely large school
in Nice (5)
6 South American spirit knocked back by top
class Japanese warrior (7)
7 Not bound by very Irish poetic form (4,5)
10 Horse eating grain spread with a butter-like

?
substance (9)
16 Herve’s to strive to win an award held by
Conservative fellow (8) 13 Life of big old harpy is revised (9)

?
18 Largely lacking in support for dancers (5) 15 Hospital transport in London
20 Edges away from farmer with weapon in and Paris (9)
Carcassonne (4)
17 Soldiers close to madness stabbing
21 What Slovakia is as a country entangled in boy attendant is an omen for the
struggle (10) Rouennais (7)
23 State one’s beliefs in drink about the highest
point of a curve (5,2) 19 Danton’s to root for French writer against
king (7)
24 Need not change book’s explanatory
addendum (7) 21 Heavy for the French nobleman carrying
25 Submits financial returns (6) earliest of urns (5)
26 Old king to eat large amounts greedily 22 Rene’s between books on English
without a hint of etiquette (6) engineers (5)

French-themed crossword by John Foley

All answers are words or names associated (in a way) with France
Across Down
2 Buddy or boyfriend (6) 1 Wine produced around the capital of the
Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (8)
6 Beddy-byes time – l’heure d’aller au ____ (4)
2 Eau-de-vie from same region as 1 but in the
7 Terre mouillée (4) Charente department (6)
8 La ______, maladie virale (6) 3 Bend or fold (5)
10 Beige or unbleached (4) 4 Eau _____ : freshwater (5)
11 Swiss founder of luxury hotels of which the 5 Type of saucisson de porc, from Lyon (5)
most famous is in Paris’s Place Vendôme (5,4)
9 “Qui a _____ des autres a _____ de soi” –
13 Aristocratic title (3) Henry de Montherlant (5)
14 Bassin de cuisine (5) 12 Region south of Arles famous for pink salt
16 Cheerful or merry (3) marshes and white horses (8)

20 Chanteuse nicknamed The Little Sparrow (5,4)
22 Excess or misuse (4)
23 To shade (6)
24 What to order for steak very rare (4)
25 Blow or knock (4)
26 Actrice Jeanne ______, who starred in 15
down’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses (6)
15 Born this month in 1928 cinéaste Roger
_____, whose works include Et Dieu…
créa la femme (5)
17 Glimpse or overview (6)
18 Cuisson de viande à l’étouffée (5)
19 Récolte d’une vigne donnée (5)
21 Wise words from Henri IV: “Bonne cuisine
et bon vin, c’est le paradis sur _____ (5)

Solve the clues, then unscramble the shaded letters to reveal one of 15 down’s five
wives plus the film she starred in (4,5 & 10)

Fun French facts Like our quiz?

2 Who said it? 3 Best of enemies Buy our quiz books
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François Mitterrand, who President (pictured in This descendent of Russian nobility was born in London in 1921, connexionfrance.com
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January 2023 I French Living connexionfrance.com Puzzles 19
Toughnut No. No.9
Toughnut 2 – Scribo Crossmots
- Scribo Crossmots Five French Facts: French films
These dual-language puzzles called ‘Toughnuts’ require you to translate the clue (English to French
These dual-language
or vice-versa) and puzzles called ‘Toughnuts’
then decide require you
where the answer fits to
intranslate
the grid.theTo
clue andyou
help thenthe
decide
firstwhere
letter of the
remade in English
the answer US (and to some extent UK) viewers are notoriously reluctant to watch foreign language
answer is fits in the grid.
provided. YouTocan
help the first
then findletter of the cathedral
a French answer is provided.
city fromBonne chance!
the blue squares. Bonne chance!
films because they have to be either dubbed or subtitled. If a French film has success at the
For more dual-language puzzles see www.crossmots.com box office, Hollywood’s reaction is not to heap praise on it but remake it in English, as if all
good films should be in the vernacular of Shakespeare. Sometimes the remake is better than
A Purchases the original. Sometimes it is the other way around. Occasionally, the two versions are as good
A Régler as each other. Here are five examples of comedies that were filched from the French and
A Alibi (=) remade in America. By Nick Inman
A Food 1 Some Like it Hot (1959, directed by Billy Wilder) is based on Fanfare

Photo: United Artists

A Approprié d’amour (1935). Two musicians on their uppers, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon,
A Too finally manage to get work – but only by dressing as women. They run into
C Tricher Marilyn Monroe who treats them like two more of the girls, putting the damp-
ers on any romance. The English-language film is a classic; no one remembers
D Le plus profond the French original.
D Jeté
2 Three men and a baby (1987, directed by Leonard Nimoy, of Star Trek

Photo: Touchstone Pictures

E Émeu fame) recreates Trois hommes et un couffin (1985, Three Men and a Cradle).
E Assimiler The title says it all: a trio of bachelors are left to care for an infant dumped
E Essentiellement on their doorstep by the lover of one of them. A hard call as to which is the
better film.
E Axle
F Fièvre 3 True Lies (1994, directed by James Cameron) is an action comedy starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. It is based on La Totale (1991).

Photo: 20th Century Fox

I Picture
Harry Tasker is a spy who’s perfect cover is to have a boring life. Even his wife,
I Inepte Helen, thinks he is boring and she is bored too because of his constant absences
J Thursday “for business trips”. A plot twist leads to Harry kidnapping Helen and sending
L Animé/e her on a mock mission. The baddies disrupt this and Harry and Helen have to
go into action together. The US film has the advantage of a much bigger budget
N Nude that includes a sequence using a Harrier Jump Jet.

Photo: Metro Goldwyn Mayer

O Omitted
4 The Birdcage (1996, directed by Mike Nichols) is a remake of the Franco-
O Bone Italian production La cage aux Folles (1978), based on the French play of the
P Feather same name. The plot stays the same – openly gay owners of a drag club must
R Refer entertain the ultra conservative parents of their son’s fiancée – but the setting
moves from St Tropez to South Beach, Florida. Both films are equally good.
R Broken
S Scène 5 Dinner for Schmucks (2010, directed by Jay Roach) is a remake of

Photo: Dreamworks Video

Le dîner des cons (The Dinner Game), directed by Francis Veber, 1998. A group
S Paralyser
of sophisticated metropolitans amuse themselves by holding dinner parties
S Sugar to which each must bring someone idiotic to mock. Things go awry when
T Langues a pet idiot invites a tax inspector to the apartment to a smug tax evader. The
W Détruire American version is a brave attempt but there’s something indescribably Gallic
about the concept of a “con”.

Test your knowledge of France

For all answers with our Connexion quiz
please turn to
Guess the region... French Living 1 Why did snails cause a problem on the
TGV in 2008?
9 France took action in 2016 to avoid food
waste, what did it do?
France has 13 regions. Every issue we pick a spot, page 24 A – Snails on the line;
10 If you are told something will “mettre du
B – Snails had no ticket;
all you need to do is work out which region it is in... C – Snails got loose inside the train? beurre dans les épinards” what does it mean?
11 Which race is the older, the Monte Carlo
Clue: A musical martyr 2 What is France’s most visited tourist site?
A – The Louvre;
Rally or the Monaco Grand Prix?
B – Chateau de Versailles; 12 Launched in 1961, Renault’s 4L was a
C – Disneyland Paris ? best-seller with 8.1million sold; what was
special about the prototype shown in 1972?
3 Which is the most northern capital city?
A – Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia); 13 With the first being built by François 1er in
B – Paris; his hunting forests and with more than 500
C – Ottawa (Canada)? being built each year, it is no surprise
France has greatest number of what?
4 What are residents in Villedieu les Poêles
in Manche called? 14 What road sign is entirely missing in Paris?
A – Poêliciers; 15 Where was the first official Grand Prix car
B – Villedeviens; race held?
C – Sourdins?
16 The original French edition of Animal
5 Which Dordogne town is the oldest Farm has an animal named Caesar. What
in France? was its original name?
A – Bergerac;
B – Périgueux; 17 How many time zones does France have,
C – Montignac? including its overseas territories?

6 What sauvignon blanc wine is classed as
Loire Valley but the villages where it is
produced are all in Burgundy?
7 What weighs 250g, measures between
55 and 80cm and is made with flour, salt,
water and yeast?
8 In 1998 Alain Ducasse was claimed
by critics to be the first chef to get six
Michelin stars (three each in two
different restaurants). Why was the
claim later dropped?
18 Despite ending the monarchy in 1789
France still has three kings – why?
19 Why do men in tuxedos, bow-ties and
white scarves parade through the capital
of Beaujolais, Villefranche-sur-Saône?
20 Who was the first woman to play
Hamlet on film?
Profile
Quiz by Ken Seaton who has lived and
worked as a journalist in France since 2009
20 Reviews
French films
A critical eye on ciné
releases and classics
Boîte Noire (Black Box)
Dir: Yann Gozlan
This is probably not a film for anyone
who has a serious fear of flying, nor for
those seeking a little light distraction
over a glass of wine, but this tense avia-
tion thriller is nonetheless a gripping
watch – if only for those keen to learn
more about the often murky, private
world of air accident investigation.
One of the most critically lauded and
viewer-pleasing films of 2021, Black Box
is now available to stream (for as little as
€3.99) on a host of streaming platforms
including Apple TV, YouTube, Google
Play and Amazon. The ever-watchable
Pierre Niney (who also starred in the
director Yann Gozlan's excellent 2015
film Un homme idéal) plays civil aviation
security employee Mathieu Vasseur, a
serious, socially awkward yet clearly
talented expert in the audio analysis
of cockpit voice recorders.
His skills are called upon in the after-
math of the tragic grounding of a Dubai-
Paris flight in the Alps. The crash is clev-
erly if not explicitly portrayed in a scintil-
lating opening scene, a single tracking
shot that moves from a mid-air plane's
cockpit, back past the passengers, and
into the rear of the aircraft where the tit-
ular black box (they are actually orange
these days) is recording pilot and air
traffic discussions.
We are shown how Vasseur goes about
unpacking the box's contents, his use of
volume control and masking as he sepa-
rate and identifies the voices heard. But
he finds that something is not quite right
– has the recording been tampered with?
Against the wishes of his boss (the bril-
liantly unreadable André Dussollier), he
begins a dangerous rogue investigation...
Cinema: Masquerade
Nicolas Bedos assembles an all-star cast
including Isabelle Adjani for a story of
hustling and deception on the Riviera.
Objection, your honour, to a false friend legal term
Language notes
E
ngrossed in an American
television legal drama recently,
my interest in the meticulously
crafted plot (a typically slick
Michael Connelly tale, since
you ask) and the haughty, lawyer-led
courtroom machinations, was abruptly
halted by the appearance of French words.
One of the characters had begun
explaining to would-be jurors the meaning
of the legal term 'voir dire'. Sensing some
pending personal 'learnings', as
the Americans might say, I immediately
reached for the télécommande (remote
control) to pause, rewind and then Google
search said phrase.
In the context of the scene, the notion
of 'voir dire' was referring to jury selection
and how the court – or either the prosecu-
tion or defence team – appraises an indi-
connexionfrance.com
Music
Michel Polnareff Polnareff chante Polnareff
Any pop star on the promo-
tional trail for a new album
has the right to cause a stir
in the media – this is so
rare in these PR-managed
times that overstepping the
mark has become almost
welcome. This is especially
true of artists who have
nothing to prove. Step for-
ward the flamboyant
Books - The 20 minute review
We read recent releases with a link to France. To be fair, each gets 20 minutes’ reading time
Let's Eat France!
François-Régis Gaudry,
Artisan, €59.79
ISBN: 978-1579658762
THIS bumper compendium is
massive in every sense of the
word. Too big for a bookshelf, too
comprehensive for a cookbook,
too chatty for a reference book, it
contains 375 recipes, essays on
350 topics, interviews, maps,
charts, plus tips and tricks for
foodies and cooks.
This is a book to curl up with
on a rainy day when you want
nothing more than to spend time
with France's iconic chefs, explor-
ing their restaurants, and poring
over maps of French cheese.
There are also guides to bread, wine, charcuterie and even chips.
If you've never had the courage to order
steak tartare, or to bake croissants, this is
Editor’s
the book for you.
The layout is pleasingly random. You'll
never quite know what's coming on the
choice
next page, making this a real exploration
through French cuisine rather than a text
book. Turn the page and it could be a
short essay about chestnuts, instructions
about etiquette, a recipe for mayonnaise,
a discussion about ratatouille or an anecdote about Julia Child. It's
lucky dip reading at its best.
The price tag is indeed hefty, but the book is so big and so thick
that it weighs six pounds. It's not a quick read, it's a long-term
relationship with a companion who will (metaphorically of course)
stroll through markets with you, go foraging for mushrooms or
wild berries with you, discuss the correct temperature to serve
champagne and/or coffee, and still have time to show you how
to braise chicken in red wine.
In print for a few years now, Let's Eat France! has become a
standout tome for lovers of French cuisine.
vidual's potential suitability to serve with-
out prejudice or bias once they began hear-
ing evidence. This is especially relevant if a
juror has a criminal record themselves.
In the UK, voir dire is not used with
regards to jury selection, but rather to
decide what kind of evidence – such as
police confessions – can or cannot be pre-
sented by either side during a criminal trial.
“
Linguistically, voir dire is something of a
"false friend" – we all know that voir means
to see, while dire means to say, so one might
reasonably presume that voir dire is an obli-
gation to jurors "to see, to speak" or "say
what you see" or similar. But no, the
In the UK, phrase's Anglo-Norman origin points to the
voir part of the phrase having stemmed
voir dire is from the Latin verum (truth) and not videre
(to see). So it is actually imploring those sit-
not used with ting in judgement to tell the truth.
As for French legal terms on French
regards to dramas, keep an ear out for l'accusé (the
accused), complice (accessory), acquitter
jury selection (to acquit) and poursuivre (to prosecute).
French Living I January 2023
78-year-old singer-songwriter Michel
Polnareff – famed for his dodgy perm and
flashy white sunglasses – whose new record
is a 'covers' album of his own tunes, but
with a new stripped-back, voice and piano
simplicity.
He told one newspaper that the only music
he listens to is "my own", while an appear-
ance on France 5 chat show C à vous turned
sour when the subject of him cancelling part
of a 2016 tour due to ill health came up. It
The Last Restaurant in Paris
Lily Graham,
Hachette UK, €10.54
ISBN: 978-1803140018
THIS weepy about a
granddaughter hunting
down the truth about her
grandmother's activities
during WW2 will have
you gripped from the very
first moment. The evoca-
tion of the restaurant in
occupied Paris is redolent
with nostalgia. The music
playing, the lights and
laughter of German soldiers tumbling into the
dark streets are drawn with delicate accuracy.
The role of Marianne the proprietor is less
clear. While Paris was closed and shuttered, the
population shivering with hunger, on the sur-
face she welcomed her military customers with
wholesome cooking and a friendly smile. Was
she really a collaborator?
Many years later, when Sabine inherits the
derelict restaurant and goes to France to inspect
her new property, she finds herself on the trail
of Marianne's mysterious past. The locals still
regard her grandmother's restaurant with fear
and loathing, but why? What happened the
night the restaurant was attacked? Who wrote
the words "traitor and collaborator" on the win-
dows? And where did Marianne go when she
disappeared on that fateful night?
The novel is a time-shift drama between WW2
and the 1980s with sections in Provence as well
as in Paris, covering the life stories of several
generations from the same family. Well written
and plotted, with characters you care about, this
will keep you turning the pages all the way to the
satisfying denouement, even if you do need a
hankie for the particularly sad bits.
When jargon goes round the houses
The French you don’t
learn at school
B
ad news is often presented
euphemistically or in a round-
about way – in order to shroud
seriousness or soften the blow
for the receiver of doomy
information. None more so in France
than when the train station announcer
informs passengers that the next service
to Montparnasse is delayed by one hour,
or all TGVs to Rennes have been can-
celled due to yet another strike (grève).
Such linguistic slight of hand was
recently highlighted by one of Le Figaro's
witty langue française (French language)
writers in their amusing takedown of the
RATP (Régie autonome des transports
parisiens) – the state-owned public
transport operator (metro, bus, trams,
etc)headquartered in Paris.
all made for attention-grabbing headlines,
which will no doubt turn to copy sales of
his latest release, which happens to be a
rather enjoyable compilation of chan-
son-style crooning.
The vocal dexterity for a man of his vin-
tage is impressive, with his trademark falset-
to getting a few airings.
Polnareff is taking his live show on the
road in June 2023, performing in arenas in
Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Reims and more.
Veronique's Journey
Patti Flinn, Gilded
Orange Books, €6.32
ISBN: 979-8986060019
the plot is
familiar: edu-
cated, intelli-
gent, beautiful
but poor young
Frenchwoman
struggles to
avoid an
unsuitable
match
arranged by
her parents in
order to search for true love.
It's 1788 so her yearning for a career
in fashion rather than a respectable
marriage is unusual.
The story starts out in Burgundy.
There is the childhood pal who she
doesn't fancy for a husband, the
well-meaning parents, the societal
pressure to become a wife and mother,
and the rebellious heart. There is also
the journey to a new life in an aristo-
crat's household. Given the date, just a
year before the outbreak of the French
Revolution, right from the start readers
know the story will be set against a tur-
bulent background.
It could be run of the mill, but it isn't
because the heroine is black, and also
because Patti Flinn writes so well. This
is a novella rather than a fully-fledged
novel, and the author says it is the start
of an entire series about Veronique.
Let's hope she can keep up the pace
of this first installment which will cer-
tainly leave readers wanting more.
The announcers, said the newspaper,
prefer to talk of "allongement du temps
de parcours" (longer journey times)
instead of the more succinct – and honest
– "retard" (delay). When there are
mechanical or manpower issues, the firm
uses non-specific phrases like "défaut de
matériel" (equipment defect) or "problème
d’exploitation" (operational difficulty).
When more than one thing is causing
delays, say on the métro, a reason given
might be "en raison d’incidents divers",
which is "due to various incidents" – the
vagueness of which often frustrates pas-
sengers much more than knowing the real,
usually legitimate, reason for a hold-up.
Looking nationally, one has to wonder
whether the recent appointment of the
Gers-born career public servant and for-
mer Prime Minister Jean Castex as head
of the national rail network SNCF will
lead to more or less transparency when it
comes to his company's relaying of grim
travel news. On verra (we will see)...
January 2023 I French Living connexionfrance.com Shopping/Did you know? 21
QUOI DE NEUF?

Photo: Agence de presse Mondial Photo-Presse

New products, designs and ideas from around France
Bespoke bath robes
Linandelle is a
Normandy based
outlet for household
linen created in
2003. It sources and
sells not only high
quality bedroom
and kitchen linen
but also a wide
range of bathroom
robes, dressing
gowns and bathroom
accessories.
The KIM range
features absorbent,
quick-dry and dura-
ble “waffle” bath robes (the company uses
the phrase “nid d’abeille”, or honeycomb)
on a made-to-measure basis, with the
sourcing of fabric, artisanal manufacture
and a wide range of available sizes
all included in a very reasonable price
(€75– €140).
Your 100% cotton robe is customisable
with embroidered names or initials (carried out by a seamstress)
and you can even select how many pockets you desire, if you
want a hood and the robe’s length. The website feature the full
range and colour options. linandelle.com

Bringing spa benefits home Tasse mania

MADE in Brittany, a region well known for its thalassotherapy
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& Skin is a new “marine” cosmetics brand for him and her whose
products are rich in marine active ingredients transformed
through patented marine biotechnological processes.
Choose from a range of moisturising serums (Ecume Hydratante
pictured, €45) and bath products. Specifically for men there is the
Sea & Skin travel size set (€20) for face and body, featuring the
Energy Shower Shampoo; the Pure Exfoliating Mask combining
the benefits of a scrub with those of a mask for a revived complex-
ion; and the Hydra-Energy Care to boost the vitality of the skin
after shaving. boutique.thalassa.com
IN her small Parisian workshop, ceramicist
Léa Baldassari handcrafts everyday table-
ware in sandstone with minimal glazing to
retain an earthy look and feel. She only con-
verted from her previous job as hairdresser
and make-up artist in 2020. Sample price
for a Reglisse coffee cup, €29.
Football fans have French
leabaldassari.bigcartel.com
to thank for World Cup
universalism values,” said Mr Dietschy.
But FIFA had to struggle against the
Did you know? International Olympic Committee

Propre job
IN COMBINING chic, quality clothing
with a commitment to the Made in
France ethos, Le T Shirt Propre is a fami-
ly affair, with Odile, her brother Fabien
and Uncle Mathieu combining their
talents to make and market knitwear
(jumpers, €150, made from Merino
sheep raised in Vaucluse) and superb
linen t-shirts (from €75, linen from
Normandy and Hauts-de-France.
Hats from€35. www.le-tshirt-propre.fr
T
he FIFA World Cup tourna-
ment as it is known today,
was invented and theorised
by Frenchmen Jules Rimet
(pictured in 1933, above)
and Henri Delaunay around the 1920s.
It was intended to create an official
competition for football players under
an organisation that guaranteed profes-
sional status after Olympic games
organisers’ gave a restrictive definition
of amateurism.
FIFA, an organisation that was creat-
ed in 1904, reunited under a supervi-
sion committee in 1927 to study three
plans on the structure behind what
would later become the most popular
sports competition in the world.
Projects included a European competi-
tion, another competition with football
players under amateur status and Mr
Delaunay’s, a competition under the
supervision of FIFA, said Paul Dietschy,
a professor of contemporary history at
Sciences Po and the author of a lengthy
book on the history of football.
“Delaunay won because FIFA wanted
to cater to the universalism ideology,”
said Mr Dietschy, according to archives
he consulted.
“Is it a coincidence that two French
people founded it?” said Mr Dietschy,
asking a question to himself during
the interview.
“France has played a huge part in
structuring international sports
between both world wars thanks to
which looked to include football
among the list of sports at 1928’s
Amsterdam Olympic Games.
Looking to Great Britain and its solid
professionalism culture, Mr Delaunay
and Rimet both concluded that football
having its own competition was an
opportunity to keep earnings for the
federation, said Mr Dietschy.
The first FIFA World Cup was held
in – and won by – Uruguay in 1930
with 13 countries having responded
favourably. Belgium, France, Romania
and Yugoslavia were the only four
European countries with the others
coming from Northern, Central and
South America.
The event was a sports accomplish-
ment, attracting nearly 550,000 spectators
over the 18 games. The next FIFA World
Cup in Italy in 1934 had 16 teams.
Subsequent FIFA’s presidents pursued
Mr Rimet’s desire to expand the World
Cup across all continents, increasing
the number of teams and games over
the next World Cups.
Qatar’s edition in 2022 was the last to
include 32 teams, as FIFA’s 2026 World
Cup will be the first one with an all-
time high of 48 teams and 80 games.
It will be jointly hosted by the United
States, Canada and Mexico.
Both Mr Delaunay and Mr Rimet
were awarded the Legion d’Honneur
for their contribution to international
sports. Mr Rimet was suggested for the
Nobel Peace prize in 1955 but his can-
didacy was rejected. The prize was,
however, not awarded that year.
22 History connexionfrance.com French Living I January 2023

Marcel Pagnol: a life lived to

the full off screen and stage
The characters that screenwriter and novelist Marcel Pagnol created against the backdrop of the Provençal
landscape are loved and loathed in equal measure. Samantha David looks at the man behind the stories

M
arcel Pagnol (1895-1974)

Photo: Moviestore Collection / Alamy stock photo

immortalised rural life in
Provence. Born in Aubagne, he
was the son of a teacher and a dressmaker
and grew up in Marseille, achieving excel-
lent marks at school. Summers were spent
in the Provençal countryside for his moth-
er’s health.
His mother died when he was just 15
years old, and two years later his father
re-married. His new stepmother was only
eight years his senior and he did not
accept the marriage. Having passed the
bac, he went to university in Aix-en-
Provence, where he co-founded a literary
review and published his first novel.
At the outbreak of WW1, he was con-
scripted into the army but demobilised
in 1915 on health grounds. In 1916, he
married Simonne Collin, finished his
degree and became a teacher, being posted
to different schools every year. He never
stopped writing, and when in 1922 he was
posted to a job in Paris, very soon became
immersed in the city’s literary world.
His first playwriting efforts for the thea-
tre were not well-received, but by 1927 he
had left teaching to write full-time, and his
play Topaze (1928), was a huge success. He
never looked back. Marius, produced in
1929, was a smash hit and evolved into his
famous Trilogie Marseillaise – three tragic
plays, Marius, Fanny, and César, which
were all eventually turned into films.
The films proved to be a groundbreaking
foray into realistic cinema, as opposed to
pure escapism. Grumpy César secretly has
a soft heart. He owns a bar on the water-
front of the Old Port in Marseille, where
his son Marius works while dreaming
of life at sea. Marius’s sweetheart, Fanny,
attracts the attentions of Panisse, a wealthy
middle-aged sail maker looking for a
pretty young wife. The films are gloomy,
fateful and darkly romantic. Perhaps the
appeal was that the films showed ordinary
people experiencing heightened emotions The war put the brakes on his activities. Above, Manon des The couple stayed together until his death.
normally associated with glamorous char- He was divorced in 1939, and in 1941 he Sources film poster, After the war, he was elected president of

acters played by beautiful film stars.
Marcel Pagnol had been separated from
his wife and involved with other women
since 1926, when he began a relationship
with a British dancer called Kitty Murphy.
In 1930 they had a son, Jacques Pagnol.
By this time, the talkies were beginning
to take over from silent cinema, and
Pagnol was fascinated by the possibilities
of film-making. The film version of
Marius was one of the very first French
talkies, and a smash hit. The second film,
Fanny, released in 1932, was shot in the
legendary Bar de la Marine in Marseille’s
Old Port.
Marcel Pagnol had hit the big time.
He was famous, well-respected, and
immensely wealthy. He sold film rights
to Topaze and set up his own film-making
studios in Paris and Marseille. He also
bought a domaine in Provence, where he
had spent so many happy summer holi-
days as a child. During the 1930s he made
one film after another. He also had two
more children, Jean-Pierre and Francine,
from different relationships.
bought the Château de la Buzine. He
bought the property sight unseen, and
only realised when he visited it that he
knew at least the grounds very well. His
mother used to tell him about a time when
she had wandered through the grounds of
the chateau and been surprised by a
grounds-keeper. The incident went down
in family history as his mother’s Big Scare.
He had the intention of turning the
chateau into a Cité de Cinéma, but due
to WW2, he had to put his plans on hold.
To avoid being forced to make Nazi propa-
ganda, he sold his studios to Gaumont,
although he stayed on as creative director.
Bowing to pressure, he made a film
defending the Vichy government. In 1942,
he bought a property, the Domaine de
l’Etoile, in La Gaude, near Marseille. Here,
he employed his film crews as agricultural
labourers growing carnations to prevent
them from being conscripted and taken
to Germany as forced labour.
In 1945, he married the actress
Jacqueline Bouvier, and together they had
Frédéric (1946) and Estelle (1951-1954).
“
1986, starring Yves the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs
Montand, Daniel Dramatiques, a position he used to defend
Auteuil and writers and artists who had not exactly
Emmanuelle Béart collaborated but who had, like him, been
as Manon pressured into working during the occupa-
tion. At the age of 51, he was elected to the
Académie Française.
His 1948 film La Belle Meunière was the
first full colour French film shot in France
by a French crew using French technical
processing. It was as successful as his other
The films showed films. From 1951, he and Jacqueline lived
in Monaco, but after the death of their
ordinary people daughter in 1954 they moved back to
Paris. Pagnol had by then finished filming
experiencing Manon des Sources in Provence. Strangely
enough, the film was not particularly well
heightened emotions received, unlike the critically acclaimed
1986 version.
normally associated In 1966, Pagnol wrote two novels based
on the film; Jean de Florette was a prequel
with glamorous to Manon des Sources. These formed the
basis for the international box-office hit
characters played by films staring Gérard Depardieu, Elizabeth
Depardieu (wife of Gérard at the time),
beautiful film stars Daniel Auteuil, and Yves Montand.
January 2023 I French Living
The films were shot back to back. In Jean
de Florette, Yves Montand played César,
another of Pagnol’s crusty Provençal patri-
archs, and Daniel Auteuil played Ugolin,
his ratty nephew. Gérard and Elizabeth
Depardieu played Jean de Florette and
his wife Aimée, a naive couple from the
city with an overly romantic view of
country life.
After WW1, César and Ugolin have a
plan to save the family fortunes by grow-
ing carnations. They try to buy a neigh-
bour’s land and, failing to do so, cement
over the water supply in an act of spite.
When the land is inherited by Jean de
Florette, César and Ugolin do not tell
him about the blocked water source. Jean
struggles to make the farm survive, but
eventually takes a mortgage on the land
from César in order to sink a well. When
he is killed in the process, his widow and
orphaned daughter lose the farm. In cele-
bration, the two baddies return to unblock
the water source, unaware that young
Manon is watching and has understood
their dark scheme.
In Manon des Sources, Ugolin falls in
love with Manon (played by Emmanuelle
Béart), who has grown into a beautiful
shepherdess. She, however, is in love with
a young teacher who has recently arrived
in the area. By chance, she discovers that
all the villagers knew about the blocked-
up source on her father’s land, and decided
not to tell him because they did not
welcome a stranger living amongst them.
When she accidentally finds the water
source which supplies the entire village,
she blocks it off.
The subsequent panic in the village
connexionfrance.com
results in people turning on César and
Ugolin, who confess their part in the
demise of Jean de Florette. Ugolin propos-
es to Manon, and when she turns him
down, he commits suicide. Manon and the
teacher unblock the village’s water source
and a few weeks later, they are married.
César then discovers that Jean de Florette
was none other than his natural son,
confesses all to the local priest, writes a
will leaving all his money and land to his
natural granddaughter Manon, and dies
the same night.
Both films were brilliantly cast and acted,
and beautiful to look at, ensuring them a
place in cinema history. They won multi-
ple awards and introduced Pagnol’s work
to new generations of fans.
After the release of the original version
of Manon des Sources, however, Pagnol
simply went on working, writing, directing
and producing films. By the mid-1950s, he
was looking over his shoulder at the thea-
tre. Turning away from the silver screen,
he wrote some plays but when they were
not well received, he switched to novels.
As he turned 60, his nostalgia for life in
Provence between the wars was undimmed,
and he wrote the hugely successful La
Gloire de mon Père, which sold 50,000
copies in its first month of publication.
He followed this with Le Château de ma
Mère in 1958, which was equally success-
ful. His re-launched literary career contin-
ued into the 1960s with the re-working
of his script for Manon des Sources. He
also worked for television, which was
kicking off as a new artistic medium at
that period. He died of cancer in 1974,
at the age of 79.
Local history 23
Photos: JialiangGao, Wikimedia Commons, below, Marka / Alamy stock photo
Can Mouthe claim to be
the coldest place in France?
Théophile Larcher discovers temperature-driven rivalries
between Mouthe and neighbouring villages in this frostbitten
part of Doubs, where wolves threaten farmers’ livelihoods
Secret history of villages
Y
ou had better pack a polar
jacket if you plan to visit
Mouthe (Doubs), a village
of 1,108 inhabitants on the
Swiss border. Welcome to
“The little Siberia of France”, where the
nation’s coldest temperature was recorded
on 17 January, 1985, with a lip-freezing
minus 41 degrees Celsius.
In Mouthe, the ground freezes on
average every two days (176 days per
Top, The village of year) and the thermometer dips below
Rougon in ‘Pagnol’ minus 5 for around 80 days. The
country, Haute temperature drops to minus 20 six times
Provence; above, every seven years, minus 25 every two
Marcel Pagnol (sec- years and descends below minus 30 every
ond from left) at the eight years, according to reports from
Monte Carlo film Météo France.
festival in 1961 So much so that inhabitants have
made snow and blazing winds an
art de vivre and the mairie
has generated a lot of
tourism from its frozen
lands, even if its
record is disputed.
Daniel Perrin,
Mouthe’s mayor
since 2014, told
The Connexion he
had a discussion
last year with
representatives of
Mignovillard, a nearby
village, who said that
one person in its hamlet,
La Combe Noire, had recorded
an even lower temperature.
“It cannot be recorded since no one
lives there,” said Mr Perrin, adding that
he thinks that several valleys surrounding
Mouthe may have recorded similar
temperatures.
Meteorologists put Mouthe’s exceptional
cold down to a combination of altitude,
absence of trees and vegetation, the
presence of snow, and the flattened basin
shape of the land. All of which creates an
‘inverted-temperature’, a phenomenon
where ground air is colder than the
atmosphere since it does not receive
enough solar radiation at night.
Photos: Left, Pmau and inset, Rene Boulay, both at Wikimedia Commons
La Combe du lac in Lamoura or
La combe des Cives in Chapelle des Bois
(both in Doubs) have similar winters,
leading to rivalries over which village
is the title-holder of France’s coldest.
They have both observed colder
temperatures than Mouthe, although
never reaching Mouthe’s rock-bottom
record. Meteorologists believe La combe
des Cives or other surrounding areas
could have been colder on that particular
January night. But Mouthe’s thermometer
was the only one functioning, and it was
not situated in the coldest areas of the
region. But Mouthe has another less
known characteristic feature.
The village is the source from which the
Doubs, France’s tenth biggest river, and
an affluent of the Rhône, springs from a
55-metre-long syphon at 940 metres high.
It was named by Julius Caesar after he
decided it was “indecisive”.
The source is the Doubs department’s
busiest site, where Mr Perrin
has installed ten ski chalets,
particularly aimed at
cross-country skiers,
since Mouthe is at the
end of the famous
Transjurassienne
cross-country skiing
competition.
The shimmering
frost on the nearby
forests clothe the
village of Mouthe in
a lily-white blanket
during the winter season.
The forests also hide packs
of wolves that are suspected to
have killed nine cows in September
2022, killings that have put pressure on
the Doubs prefecture to act.
Farmers have asked the prefecture to
allow tir de prélèvement, a phrase which
describes an event organised by hunters
who possess a licence to kill wolves,
which is the highest level of the
government’s regulating plan for wolves.
Tir de prélèvement was allowed for the
first time on 26 September, 2022, in the
Lorèze department.
Associations have opposed the solution,
arguing that it is useless and does not
regulate the activity.
24 The big picture connexionfrance.com French Living I January 2023

A cold canvas for fine art at altitude

Samantha David talks

Photo: Simon Beck

lakes and light to the
Alps resident and
renowned snowscape
artist Simon Beck

B
ritish land artist Simon Beck
has drawn nearly 400 graphics
on snow canvases all over the
world, most of them in the
French Alps. “It started because
I thought it would be a way of getting
some extra exercise after a day skiing,”
he says.
A trained map-maker, he says working
out the designs isn’t that difficult. “I walk
into the centre, then make four lines ex-
tending outwards to mark the five points,
and take it from there.”
He lives in Les Arcs 2000, so knows the
surrounding slopes very well. “From the
window I can see this small lake covered
with virgin snow and to me it is a beautiful
blank canvas. The techniques are the same
as we use for orienteering maps – just
in reverse.”
He was amazed at how good his first
finished drawing looked, despite being
so simple to make. “It was just me walking
and making tracks in the snow. So that’s
how it started, it was just a low grade
sporting activity.”
After a couple of years he bought some
snowshoes, stopped making maps and
started building a proper portfolio of his
snow art. “I prioritised them over skiing, pear under fresh snow, or the snow melts, Simon Beck’s because the temperature dropped
and people started offering me free good- but it’s ok. My work is done once I have a sprawling snow art. and the ice expanded. Once the
ies to draw their logo in the snow, and good photograph of the drawing. Being “A good location is crack had relieved the pressure, we
these days they pay.” ephemeral is part of the attraction.” flat and doesn’t get had to wait for it to refreeze, and
Once he set up his Facebook page, He says he gets to know all the good sites skied over or walked for more snow to fall, and
people also started asking to buy hi- for drawing, and has favourites. “A good over,” says the artist do the drawing again.”
resolution photos of his work, and location is flat and doesn’t get skied over It can take anything from a few
commissions began to arrive. “People or walked over. I like frozen Alpine lakes hours to several days to complete
want their logos drawn in the snow, and where the ice is up to a metre thick. a snow drawing and find a good
a Japanese company paid for me to go to “To check it’s safe I go to the shallowest, vantage point from which to pho-
Japan and teach them how to do snow art.” weakest point – usually where water flows tograph it. “What I love is that the
He has worked for sports and clothing into or out of the lake – and see how easy light reflects differently according
companies all over the world, including it is to break to ice. It takes quite a bit of to where the sun is in the sky.”
Switzerland, North America, South Amer- judgement.” When he lived in the UK Simon
ica, Russia and Italy. “I drew a dragon in He remembers how the ice cracked also used to use rakes to make
Siberia for a feature film. I am spending when he was drawing the dragon. “I had drawing in the sand. Look
this winter in Les Arcs 2000, and plan on nearly finished when there was a loud carefully and you will see an ex-
doing around 25 drawings, so anyone vis- bang, like a gunshot, and I saw the dark ample of his work in the TV series
iting the resort during good weather has water spreading over the drawing, Sanditon.
a good chance of seeing one of them. ruining it. See more of Simon’s works at
“People ask how it feels when they disap- “I knew the ice wouldn’t break. It cracked www.facebook.com/snowart8848

Quiz answers from page 19 Answers from page 18 and 19 A ACHATS,

A ADJUST,
A ALIBI,
1. B – The owner did not buy a ticket for the snails. National media backed his complaint and SNCF Guess the region Toughnuts A ALIMENTATION,
repaid the €5.10 2. C – Disneyland Paris has 15 million visitors a year against 8 million for the Louvre Albi’s magnificent Cathedral Basilica is named after A APPROPRIATE,
and 7.7m for Versailles 3. B – Paris – which is at 48.8566N, while Ulaanbaatar is 47.8864N and Ottawa Saint Cecilia, a wealthy Roman noblewoman and A AUSSI,
is 45.4215N 4. C – Sourdins, because the town’s main industry is bell-making and ‘sourd’ means deaf martyred patron saint of musicians. Image: Pixabay C CHEAT,
5. A - Bergerac’s quartier Vaures has the remains of a village dated to 3500BC and while the Lascaux Bilingual cryptic crossword D DEEPEST,
cave in Montignac is between 19,000 and 17,000 years old the town itself is not; the earliest dwellings D DUMPED,
Across: 1 Copper, 4 Pensif, 8 Retired, 9 Commies, E EMU,
in Vesunna at Périgueux date from the 1st century BC 6. Pouilly-Fumé is on the east bank of the Loire, 11 All the rage, 12 Rêve, 13 Bière, 14 Glaziers,
in Burgundy 7. A baguette – and 320 are made and eaten each second in France 8. Because a woman E EQUATE,
16 Compéter, 18 Barre, 20 Arme, 21 Landlocked, E ESSENTIALLY,
got there first – Eugénie Brazier won her sixth star in 1933, with three for La Mère Brazier in Lyon and 23 Speak up, 24 Endnote, 25 Yields, 26 George. E ESSIEU,
a further three for her rural retreat at Col de la Luere 9. It stopped supermarkets throwing out unsold
Down: 1 Creel, 2 Peintre, 3 Evènement, 5 Ecole, F FEVER,
edible food and said it should go to charities 10. It means it will boost your income 11. Monte Carlo I IMAGE,
Rally was first held in 1911, the Monaco GP in 1929 12. It was an electric prototype with a top speed 6 Samurai, 7 Free verse, 10 Margarine, 13 Biography,
I INANE,
of 60kph and range of 60km 13. Roundabouts. There is no exact figure but researchers using Google 15 Ambulance, 17 Présage, 19 Raciner, 21 Lourd, J JEUDI,
Maps said there were 65,127. Both are popularly called rond-points but rond-points and carrefours à 22 Entre. L LIVELY,
sens giratoire are different. The first uses ‘priorité à droite’ but giratoires give priority to vehicles on the French-themed crossword N NUE,
roundabout 14. Stop signs. Until 2016 Paris had only one, in the 16th arrondissement, but after being Across: 2 copain, 6 dodo, 7 boue, 8 grippe, 10 écru, O OMISE,
stolen once too often the sign was never replaced 15. The first Automobile Club de France Grand Prix 11 César Ritz, 13 duc, 14 évier, 16 gai, 20 Edith Piaf, O OS,
was held in 1906 at Le Mans. This is the first official event, although a French Grand Prix was held in 22 abus, 23 ombrer, 24 bleu, 25 coup, 26 Moreau. P PLUME,
1901, also at Le Mans 16. Napoleon. When Animal Farm was published in France in 1947 an editor Solution No.9 (TARBES) R REPORTEZ-VOUS,
Down: 1 Bordeaux, 2 cognac, 3 plier, 4 douce, 5 jésus, R ROMPU,
changed the pig’s name to Caesar. A 1981 second edition switched back to Napoleon. This may be why
9 pitié, 12 Camargue, 15 Vadim, 17 aperçu, 18 daube, S SCENE,
people believe (wrongly) it is illegal to call a pig Napoleon 17. 13. 18. The Territoire d’Outremer of S STALL,
19 cuvée, 21 terre
Wallis et Futuna has three kings and they are recognised by France 19. They are marking the Fête des S STORM,
Unscrambled answers: Jane Fonda & Barbarella
Conscrits which has run since 1850 when two 20-year-old men turned up for army conscription in full S SUCRE,
dress suits, opera hats and buttonhole carnations. It caught on and is repeated each year in the last week Fun French facts T TONGUES,
of January 20. Sarah Bernhardt. Le Duel d’Hamlet with 55-year-old Bernhardt as Hamlet was made in 1 Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, V VITAL,
1900. It was the play’s first film adaptation. 2 Winston Churchill, 3 Peter Ustinov. W WRECK.
 The Connexion January 2023
CCAS centres can find you
lots of help you might need
Most towns have a centre
communal d’action sociale,
but their existence is often
unknown to foreign residents
The Prime Minister recently pledged
€60million in ‘sustainable’ food aid for
2023, which France’s network of centres
communaux d’action sociale (CCAS) will
have a role in distributing. This is just one
of the ways these centres can support local
residents, particularly as inflation bites.
A CCAS is mandatory for towns of more
than 1,500 inhabitants and optional for
smaller villages, but even many French
people are unaware of services they offer.
“In France, there are lots of institutions,
and it is complicated to know who to turn
to when you have a problem,” said Jean-
Baptiste Meaux, who works for the
UDCCAS for the Nord department, a
union of 205 local CCAS.
Every CCAS has three main duties.
They must provide a permanent address
to people without a fixed address, or who
require administrative independence from
a violent partner, for example; maintain a
database of local residents who receive
benefits; and analyse the needs of the local
population.
The CCAS can decide which additional
forms of support to offer.
For foreign residents in France, the
CCAS can be invaluable in providing guid-
ance and support when completing forms
and applications related to every kind of
social benefit, including:
n The Allocation personnalisée d’auto-
nomie (Apa), which helps elderly people
cover the costs of continuing to live at home;
n The Complémentaire santé solidaire, free
or subsidised top-up health insurance for
people on low incomes;
n The Allocation aux adultes handicapés
(AAH), which ensures disabled people
have a minimum level of income.
How much help you can get with filling
in applications depends on your town.
App warns when you’re walking in a hunting zone
A HUNTER has created an app that
informs walkers in real time of any hunts
taking place in the local area so they can
stay out of danger.
Hunters can download the Chassé &
Croisé app and pre-define the various
areas in which they usually hunt. Then,
when they set out in the morning, they
simply have to select the area they plan
to cover that day.
Other people taking a walk or cycling
through the countryside, if they have
downloaded the app, will then be alerted
whenever they are within 800 metres of a
hunting zone.
A map will show them the limits of the
zone, and routes they can take to avoid
crossing the boundary. If they do come
closer, the hunters will receive an alert so
they know to avoid them or to accompany
them away from the area.
Michaël Albié, who has been hunting
since the age of 16, created the app to help
different groups share use of the country-
side without fear.
“One day, my wife was planning on going
for a walk, but she didn’t dare because we
were out hunting and she didn’t know
where we were,” he told The Connexion.
“That seemed out of step with the real
connexionfrance.com
research, which can be purely statistical or
involve feedback from local associations,
highlights local demographics and ways
residents could be better supported.
Photo: Shutterstock_sylv1rob1
Many CCASs cater their services to sen-
iors, with meal deliveries, retirement
homes, home help, and events and other
actions to combat social isolation.
Another common service is food aid,
either through vouchers, food packages,
“Certain CCAS will say it is not their or by partnering with associations to offer
role to do the job of the Caf, for example, organic vegetables, for example.
which is supposed to help people with the One northern town offers a shuttle
process [of applying for APL housing service so elderly people can do their
benefits]. But since certain institutions no shopping in a nearby town. Another
longer take face-to-face appointments, a recently held a workshop to demonstrate
large majority of CCAS will do so.” ways to reduce electricity usage.
They can also help people understand Some centres also offer microcrédits –
which support measures they qualify for. small, short-term loans to help residents
“We don’t expect people to be familiar with manage unexpected problems, when they
every support package,” Mr Meaux said. are unable to get a bank loan due to a lack
Around a third of households eligible for of income or an unstable job situation.
the ‘back-to-work/work top-up’ social “The larger the town, the more funds it
benefit Revenu de solidarité active (RSA) has, and the likelier it is to offer different
do not claim it, and a fifth do not use the things,” Mr Meaux said.
chèque énergie voucher, even though it is While much of their work is aimed at
sent out automatically. certain categories, particularly those on the
Mr Meaux believes this is due to a lack margins of society, many social and educa-
of knowledge, as well as pride, stemming tional events are open to all.
from the demonisation of benefit recipients. You can visit the CCAS directly without
“Instead of talking about social aid, we an appointment to learn how they can help.
could talk about social rights, instead of You can find details at the town hall.
food aid, food rights, because being fed is It might also be possible to volunteer at
a condition for living.” your local centre – for example, to phone
He said that since the pandemic new and check in on vulnerable people.
categories of people have been arriving Since the deadly heatwave of 2003, town
at the CCAS, notably more students and halls must keep a registre des personnes
those in precarious employment. vulnérables, a list of elderly, isolated and
The centres are presided by the local disabled people to communicate with in
mayor but run on a daily basis by a director case of emergency. This list is often dele-
who is often someone from the field of gated to the CCAS, and you can usually
social work. They are administered by a contact your centre to request to be added.
board composed of councillors and ordi- Since the CCAS operate at commune
nary citizens selected by the mayor, often level, you can only be served by the centre
representing associations, which decides for the town in which you live.
what additional programmes to offer. Smaller towns sometimes come together
“It depends half on the mayor’s campaign to run a centre intercommunal d’action
promises, and half on the analysis of social sociale (CIAS), often in addition to the CCAS,
needs which is undertaken after every which might focus on a specific topic, such
mayoral election,” Mr Meaux said. This as helping people back into work.
temporary signs on or near public roads
to signal the main entrances to a hunting
zone when a hunt is under way. The signs
must be put up and taken down on the
day of the hunt.
Mr Albié believes this system would
work if it was always respected, but admit-
ted it can create confusion or frustration
for walkers, who do not know exactly what
area the signs are referring to.
“When they get an alert on their phones,
they won’t feel frustrated about not being
able to continue their activity. They will
know that, even if there are hunters, they
can continue by going left or right.”
Photo: Chassé & Croisé
Mr Albié, a public works employee, said
he hopes to encourage mutual respect,
and to improve the hunters’ image.
What users see when a hunt is on “People aren’t aware of all the safety
regulations we have to follow. Now we
risk. Lots of people are in that situation, so are adding a constraint, which we are
I started to think about how to reassure not obliged to do.”
them and bring an extra level of safety.” Hunting clubs must pay €5 to use the
Around 40 hunting clubs in 20 depart- app, regardless of how many members they
ments have begun using the app since it have. Sports clubs can pay the same fee to
launched in August. Most are situated in programme their routes so hunters will
Gers or Dordogne, where Mr Albié lives. receive an alert with details of where they
In total, 8,400 people had downloaded it are going and contact details for the club
by the end of November. so they can come to a compromise.
Hunters have a legal obligation to display The app is free for everyone else.
Starlink satellites bring
Wi-Fi to rural France
The Starlink satellite
internet service is slowly
gaining popularity in France
after cutting its prices.
Starlink offers high-speed
internet access in rural areas
that have little access to
broadband.
The service, operated by
Elon Musk’s SpaceX, lowered
its monthly subscription costs
from €99 to €50 in August,
although users must also buy
a €480 installation kit.
Subscribers receive a small
satellite dish to set up some-
where with a clear view of the
sky, and a wi-fi router.
For €100 per month you can
get portable internet that can
be used when travelling in
vehicles such as camper vans.
Starlink has proved contro-
versial since launching in
France in May 2021.
Critics say its constellation
of thousands of low-orbiting
satellites – there are currently
more than 3,000, with plans for
up to 42,000 – risks cluttering
the night sky.
In April, France’s highest
administrative court, the
Conseil d’Etat, revoked
Starlink’s frequency authoris-
ations, as there had been no
MONEY-SAVER
Toy rentals offer variety
Renting toys rather than
buying them can be a great
way to save money, reduce
your impact on the environ-
ment, keep your home declut-
tered – and entertain your
children and grandchildren.
Fortunately, more and more
French companies are offer-
ing this service.
Perhaps you spent a lot on
Christmas presents, only for
young family members to
lose interest by Boxing Day.
Or maybe grandchildren are
visiting and you fear they will
be bored. Renting can help.
Start-up Lib&Lou, for
example, allows you to rent
four toys for €20 per month,
or 10 toys for €30 a month.
You keep them for as long as
you want, and can send them
back and request different
ones once you are finished.
It offers a selection of 700
different options, many of
them educational, including
board games, puzzles and
Montessori activities. Delivery
Practical 21
public consultation. The regu-
latory authority Arcep granted
the company a new authoris-
ation in June following the
required consultation, saying
this process had highlighted
the service’s benefits in terms
of providing connectivity in
areas poorly served by
fibre-optic.
Starlink announced in
September that it had 700,000
subscribers, including 6,500 in
France. It is possible to under-
take a 30-day trial before shell-
ing out for the installation kit.
The EU recently agreed to go
ahead with plans for its own
satellite communication sys-
tem, IRIS² to launch in 2024.
The main aim is to secure
government communications
in times of crisis, although it
could also be used to connect
areas not currently covered
by broadband.
Neosat, from Nordnet,
part of the Orange group,
also offers satellite internet,
at lower speeds but also lower
cost – starting at €39.90 per
month and €299 for the
hardware.
Amazon plans to launch its
own Project Kuiper satellites,
starting in 2023.
Photo: Shutterstock_Oksana Kuzmina
is free if you choose to collect
them at a point relais, as are
returns if you keep the toys
for at least a month.
You can also cancel when-
ever, meaning it is possible to
rent toys for a specific period
without being locked into a
long-term contract.
There is also an environ-
mental component: 75,000
tonnes of toys are thrown
away in France each year,
according to the company,
while seven toys out of 10 are
no longer used six months
after being bought.
Petite Marelle, meanwhile,
offers five toys for €19.50 per
month. Both companies offer
the possibility to buy and
keep the toys that prove most
popular at home.
Another option is to sign up
to a ludothèque (toy library).
Many towns have these,
allowing you to borrow toys,
for free or for a small fee. To
see if there is one near you,
consult alf-ludotheques.org.
Business Directory
Use these pages to find English-speaking tradespeople and firms across France. For your security, we check that all French
businesses listed here are registered. The listings are arranged geographically by the 5 landline telephone zones of France.
Are you a business searching for new clients?
Advertise with us - prices start from just €165 HT for 1 year!
To book a space email: sales@connexionfrance.com or place your advert online at the Directory section of connexionfrance.com

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All Tel Codes Tel Codes 01 - 03 Tel Code 04 Tel Code 05

COMMERCIAL FEATURE

Learning French via a residential course or Skype

Claire Campbell has been
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Now however, thanks to
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“It is a chance to learn in the comfort
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putting things off: it gives you a motive to
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Claire believes that a native English
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feels that explanations should be given in
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“One-to-one lessons enable you to progress
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Claire fell in love with France as a
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for sharing which, she believes, underlies offer, you no longer have the excuse to say:
her teaching. ‘Well, perhaps next year…’ Perhaps this year
A degree in history at Oxford University is the time to ‘get round to it’.”
was followed by a few years teaching in
schools. She then taught English as a
foreign language to adults and enjoyed
teaching French to adults in evening classes
for several years.
Since moving to France Claire has
continued teaching French in Cucugnan, a
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“It has splendid wines, good restaurants,
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 The Connexion January 2023
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ALL OF FRANCE Directory 23
COMMERCIAL FEATURE
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NLE
• Life assurance
Voted Best Agency in France
• Banking & lending
Join BVI Plus and connect • Business insurance
with our hottest buyers Accountants and Tax Advisors
Tel: 05 61 07 16 84 Paris & London offices
Freephone: 08 05 69 23 23
agence.international@axa.fr Services offered in France and UK
enquiries@beauxvillages.com
www.axa-in-france.fr Tax Returns n Accounts n Business setup
www.beauxvillages.com
n Payroll n VAT
Paris Tel: 01 42 93 18 42
London Tel: 0208 242 5540
Website: www.nle-accounting.fr
Email: info@nle-accounting.com
The insurance TAX service covering
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
VOTED #1 – RATES AND SERVICE one-stop shop UK & French Returns.
for English speakers throughout France HMRC agent. Free estimate
www.PioneerFrance.com Savings and Investments specialists of your tax liabilities.
40yrs info@pioneerfrance.com FCA Phone: 05 53 73 97 29
Mail: monpazier@agence.generali.fr
Web: taxspec.co.uk
£ € $ +33 (0)5 53 07 06 27 £ € $
Website: www.sudouest-assurances.com Tel: +44 7979 400725
24 Directory
Taking the paperwork and pain out of a left-hand drive vehicle purchase
At Gary Automobiles near
Lyon, convenience and quality
are assured for customers
buying a left-hand drive car
ARE YOU looking to buy a left-hand drive
vehicle for your new life in France?
Gary Automobiles is an English-owned
motor dealer based just outside of Lyon in
the Rhône-Alpes, specialising in the supply
of quality new and pre-owned, left-hand
drive, French registered vehicles to expats
moving to France.
The company has been operating in
France since July 1 2003 and customers
only ever deal with Gary personally.
Convenience for the customer is a key
element in the company’s ethos, which is
why Gary Automobiles now has the facility
to register your vehicle in your name at
INDEPENDENT BROKERS
Working with selected
insurers to find the best
policy for your needs
at competitive rates
MOTOR, HOUSE, MEDICAL
TRAVEL, BUSINESS
For information and quotes
in English contact Penny
at G.S.A.R. 05 53 40 15 71
pennym.gsar@orange.fr
AXA
INSURANCE
Jean-Marie LECOMTE
ST HILAIRE DU HARCOUET - 50600
HOME - CAR - HEALTH
Pet and travel insurance-
banking / loans
(call Angeline: English speaking
contact) - 02 33 49 12 34
agence.lecomte@axa.fr
Need French legal
advice in English?
Tax returns, pension
schemes (QROPS),
Estate planning,
financial advice.
We are expats qualified in France,
call to try our unrivalled service
+33 (0)6 72 34 48 50 /
+44 (0)20 3807 8311
www.
dtbwealthmanagement.com
LIFELONG SWIMMING
POOLS IN FRANCE
1 week build, bespoke design & filtration
Self cleaning & remotely monitored
We are British & understand
the French system too
www.gaiusta.com
ALEXANDER PEARSON (MSc - CIWEM)
alexander@gaiusta.com
+33 (0)5 58 55 72 15
+33 (0)7 77 23 11 16
ALL OF FRANCE www.connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023
COMMERCIAL FEATURE
their premises – meaning there is no need visit the area (easyJet and Ryanair fly into also provides a car sourcing service –
to worry about translation and paperwork nearby airports), Gary can come to collect meaning if they do not have the vehicle
issues. Gary will issue your new carte you from the airport or train station, as you want in stock, they will find it for you.
grise directly from his well as arrange For further recommendation, here are
office and can even reservations or some previous customer comments:
arrange your French advise on local “Gary Automobiles made the whole
motor insurance and Lyonnais hotels. process as painless as possible.”
transfer your no Another part Colin Edwards
claims bonus. of the service “I have used Gary Automobiles to source
“I remember how hard offered by Gary and deliver a new car in France. Since I
it was to understand the Automobiles is don’t speak French it was a delight to deal
French paperwork and that they do not with Gary himself.” Tom Wall
red tape when I made the put people under “Gary’s personal and English-speaking
move over to France in pressure to make service has been really helpful and taken
2001. I am happy to assist a purchase. They the hassle out of buying and keeping a car
fellow expats and take understand the in France.” James Greig
that burden away,” says Gary. logistics of moving abroad, so if they have
Reassuringly, they are fully French a suitable vehicle in stock they we will keep Gary Automobiles EURL
registered company with Siret / Siren / and it until you are ready to collect – with no Telephone: 0033 4 74 43 89 51
TVA numbers and only supply vehicles with time limitations. Mobile: 0033 6 84 85 04 61
European specifications. Part exchange with your right hand drive Email: gary.automobiles@wanadoo.fr Gary at his office near Lyon
For customers wishing to stay over and vehicle is also available, while the company www.gary-automobiles.com
Stop cleaning For Daily SELF STORAGE
your pool DOVER
yourself updates visit Convenient, Flexible, Secure
From a UK vehicle LOGBOOK
PoolGobbler Pro
connexionfrance.com Working with your Movers
To a FRENCH vehicle 24/7 Access
automatically removes LOGBOOK – DONE !
all flies, wasps and leaves PAULPALMER@CAR-REG-FRANCE.COM Tel: +44 (0) 1304 822 844
from your pool surface.
www.pure-piscines.com
WWW.CAR-REG-FRANCE.COM
Tel: 0780493243 J ust K itchens doverinfo@aandsselfstorage.co.uk
A complete service from www.doverstorage.co.uk
or call 0565 319623 Cars, motorhomes planning to installation All France
and vans wanted Suppliers of German
Both LHD and RHD. kitchens by Häcker
Also part-exchange. Collection in
the UK or France. Polite service.
And English Kitchens and
Please email, text or telephone furniture by Neptune Greetings Cards
and we will call you back. Plus a range of work surfaces Birthdays, Anniversaries, Special Occasion,
Christmas, Hand-made and Open - From €1.00
sunnyskycars@gmail.com and appliances Hand Written Service Available
Holiday Villa or Tel +33 (0) 6 88 07 20 36 Visit our website:
Tel: 07 70 17 73 86
enquiries@englishcardsinfrance.net
www.justkitchens.fr
Marketing 00 44 738 325 3605 www.englishcardsinfrance.net
Siret: 538 583 60000019
Or call for a chat:
Increase bookings with
professional photography, GARY AUTOMOBILES 05.62.58.03.64
videos, virtual tours
and more
Specialists in supplying quality
New and Pre-owned
All of France with showrooms in the South West
Love French Interiors
French registered vehicles French Reproduction Furniture.
Visit our website to see
what we can do for you Hand crafted from Mahogany.
We buy LHD/RHD vehicles
www.holidayvillamarketing.com Part-exchanges welcome Wide choice of finish options.
Full customisation possible.
+33(0)7 66 36 26 40 Unlike UK LHD specialists we
handle all the paperwork and Bespoke Design service available.
re-register the vehicle in your CRANBURYS Delivery throughout France.
name at our premises! Movers - Shippers - Storers
www.lovefrenchinteriors.com
PROBLEM SOLVING French registered, English owned company Full and Part Loads 0044 (0) 20 3474 0092
Advice on all aspects of living in Tel 0033 (0)4 74 43 89 51 throughout Europe
France, buying/selling,
French administration, income tax,
or 0033 (0)6 84 85 04 61
etc... gary.automobiles@wanadoo.fr
Tel +44 (0)23 8065 2630
Competent, experienced. www.gary-automobiles.com Email moving@cranburys.co.uk
Contact me now for your free consultation. www.cranburys.co.uk
Rachel THOMAS-BONNET LLB Hons
+33 (0)6 62 78 39 77
perfidealbion@bbox.fr
Visit me at
www.perfidealbion.com ANGLO FRENCH
EURO REMOVALS
Weekly services to and from
Work from home the UK and France
Flexible hours Full and part loads
Chenil Les Mille Calins
www.findfreshfocus.com/ 40 years’ experience English Run
connexion Full or fragile packing service 5 Star accommodation for Dogs/Cats
Storage facilities in the UK l Underfloor heated kennels
l Qualified staff
and France l Top Quality food and exercise
l Only 45 minutes south of Caen
UK - 0044 (0)1237 751 293
TOP PRICE FOR l Convenient Ferry Access
VINYL RECORDS France - 0033 (0)545 894 957 www.goldenwaypets.com
Mobile: 06 83 32 65 15 info@anglofrenchmail.com Telephone 02 33 37 49 19
or sue.davage@wanadoo.fr
www.anglofrenchremovals.co.uk Emergency 02 33 38 41 32
82120 Marsac
UK Reg: 5437760 Fax 02 33 38 44 16
 The Connexion January 2023
Sud-Ouest Assurances offer financial peace of mind
Anne Gardini at Sud-Ouest
Assurances explains options
available to you if you live in
France and are looking for
financial peace of mind.
“Many people will have heard of
‘ASSURANCE VIE’, says Anne, “but may not
realise it is France’s must-have tax-wrapper as
it is the financial tool which redeems France
from its taxpayer’s nightmare reputation.”
“Benefits offered by an Assurance Vie include
- The ability to shelter capital, and yet have
it available to draw from at any time with
vastly reduced income tax
- A means of passing on your estate in a tax
efficient manner
- A way to both complement your pension
and optimise (reduce) your income tax
English TV in your
French Home
Professional installations in
Brittany & Normandy
Mail-order throughout France
Free, friendly, helpful advice
TVBrittany
02 97 27 58 50
www.tvbrittany.com
Axa AngloAgence
Car, House, Health, INSURANCE
Bank, Savings, Investment
Going Beyond since 1989
02 96 87 21 21
contact@angloagence.com
Alex, Richard, Trystan
SWIMMING POOL LEAK
DETECTION AND REPAIR
www.fuitedetection.fr
+33 781 444545
+44 7770 274528
AUDE & HERAULT
Pool Specialist
Weekly maintenance, repairs,
equipment replacement.
Contact Anthony Main 06 62 76 20 93
Email: anthonymain.fr@gmail.com
Siret 48468735500038
www.connexionfrance.com
- The protection of a family member, such as
a disabled child for instance
- ...and last but not least a means to achieve
an above average return on your capital.”
Any bank or insurer can sell you an Assurance
Vie but check first, there are a number of
things you need to look for
- The security and scope of a leading
international financial institution. The
Generali Group has been a leader in the
field of money management and pension
funds since 1831.
- A reliable adviser. After 15 years working
in Asia as a financial analyst, Anne
GARDINI under the Generali banner now
advises both French nationals and
expatriates living in France on savings, tax
and retirement issues. Her expertise in
these fields has led her to be appointed as
an expert witness with the Bordeaux Court
Of Appeal.
Registered Carpenter
Painter / Decorator
Kitchen fitter
20+ years experience
Contact Martin
martin.dodson79@gmail.com
07 85 13 93 04 / 06 07 45 62 63
Region: GARD/30
Sky In France
Sky, Freesat
& French TV
Supplied & Fully Installed
Office: 05 63 59 85 16
www.skyinfrance.co.uk
Please see our main
advert in the Connexion
Building restoration
City & Guilds qualified builder
Masonary, plastering, tiling,
Painting and decorating
Areas: 24, 46
Tel: 06 48 56 22 83
Email: pabroadley@yahoo.co.uk
ELECTRICIAN
Experienced & French Registered.
Available for all types of electrical work.
Insured and guaranteed.
Areas: 16,17,24,47
Tel: 05 46 86 07 61
Email: trevor.miell@btopenworld.com
Siret No. 49376573200015
ALL OF FRANCE Directory 25
COMMERCIAL FEATURE
- Choice and quality of the financial
products.
“Because money management should never
be anything other than tailor-made we will
give you access to the best asset management
companies worldwide when considering what
to put into your Assurance Vie,” says Anne.
“Whether you seek to diversify your
investments through asset types such as
north European property, water resources
or just vanilla high-dividend paying ‘blue
chip’ stocks, we work with the best in their
area: Rothschild, Fidelity, Templeton to name
but a few. These are the quality of top-end
investment names Sud-Ouest Assurances give
you access to when you work with us.”
To find out more, contact
Anne or Sophia at Sud-Ouest
Assurances.
Phone: 05 53 73 97 29
Mail: monpazier@agence.generali.fr
Website: www.sudouest-assurances.com
Les Amis Des Chats HEALTH AND COUNSELLING
promotes sterilisation to improve
the well-being of stray and pet cats
DEMPSEY TREE SURGERY
in the rural villages of SW France.
CONTRACTORS WE NEED VOLUNTEERS
British trained & qualified tree surgeon
All tree work undertaken.
to help run our
Tel: 05 45 65 96 86 Mob: 06 61 90 04 92
charity shops and events.
Donations are also gratefully received at
enquiries@dempseytreesurgery.com
www.dempseytreesurgery.com Les amis des chats, 82150 Roquecor.
Working in dept: 16, 17, 24, 87
See how you can support us by visiting
Siret: 48930027700014
www-les-amis-des-chats.com
DORDOGNE SERVICES
Registered charity no: W821000447
All Gardening Work - Cutting
Strimming - Hedge Trimming
Clearance - Property Services
Depts - 24,46,47
Tel: Bob & Tracy 06 42 82 44 96
Email: bob.groundwork@gmail.com
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
Speak and GO! is recruiting
siret : 48293447800017
English-Speaking families for French
students educational stays in Brittany.
contact@speakandgo.fr
www.speakandgo.fr
euroinstallations.com
• Rural Broadband
• UK & French TV
Satellite & On-Demand
• CCTV & Alarms
• WiFi Installation
• Home Audio & Cinema
Tel 06 80 55 06 09 SW France
mail@euroinstallations.com
VEHICLE
60 DAYS FREE
TRANSPORT
BETWEEN THE
CHARITY
PHOENIX ANIMAL RESCUE UK AND FRANCE
OUR SPECIALISED VEHICLES
CAN PROVIDE SAFE AND SECURE CALL TODAY
OFFICE: 0044 (0) 1522 686764
If you are thinking of giving an VEHICLE MOVEMENT TO MEET
animal a home, please consider ANDY: 0044 (0) 7876 504 547
YOUR TRANSPORT NEEDS
adopting. We have many cats and
dogs looking for loving homes.
EMAIL: ENQUIRY@WATSONEUROPEAN.CO.UK
Please visit us at: WEEKLY SERVICE UK • FRANCE • SPAIN
www.phoenixasso.com
USE OUR ONLINE ENQUIRY PAGE FOR A NO OBLIGATION QUOTE
www.facebook.com/
PhoenixAssociationFrance WWW.WATSONEUROPEAN.CO.UK
 26 Directory FEATURES www.connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023
COMMERCIAL FEATURES

Promote your home to buyers directly to save thousands in sales commission

ARB French Property is an
innovative private for sale
web site founded by Adrian
and Jacqui Bunn which helps
homeowners find UK and
International buyers.
ARB employ an array of proactive
methods to find buyers. As well as a
presence on the ARB site, their marketing
strategy makes sure every property
is seen on leading International web
sites such as Rightmove, Zoopla and
Huisenaanbod (Dutch).
Adrian explains, “At ARB it has been
our philosophy right from the start to
offer the same high standard of marketing
for all properties, all year round. That is
why all homes on our site benefit from up
to 30 photos, extensive description and a
free floor plan. Our most popular scheme,
Platinum Plus, comes with the option of
a 360 degree interactive tour that allows
buyers to visualise a home, as if they are
actually there.”
Jacqui adds, “We work with sellers to
create an attractive, stand-out, attention
grabbing advert that informs a potential
buyer of all the benefits a property offers,
including the outside space, and setting.”
Sellers sometimes ask what is the
advantage of a private sale? The main
benefit is that a seller will save thousands
in commissions. For example, joining the
Platinum Plus service, sellers pay a fixed
fee of £995 no matter the value of the
home. So if the home is worth €300,000,
for example, and an agent charges 5%,
that means paying €15,000 in commission.
A private sale with ARB French Property
will save you approximately €13,500.
Buyers also feel confident dealing directly
with a seller who will know more about
their home, the surrounds and why they
bought it better than anyone else. The
process is no more complicated than
using an agent.
Jacqui says, “Sellers tell us they find
our approach works well. We are always
pleased to get positive feedback with one
seller recently writing ‘Full asking price
achieved. Superb quality presentation.
Thank you’. Another wrote ‘Brilliant
service, superb photos and you certainly
saved me money’.”
Adrian concludes, “2022 has been a
busy year. We need more homes to sell
in all areas of France, especially Western
France from Brittany to the Med. If you
want your home to get the attention it
deserves, if you want to maximise the
worth of your home with the chance to Call or email +44 (0)1803 469367
save thousands in commission, call or Adrian and Jacqui at info@arbfrenchproperty.com
email us at ARB French Property today.” ARB French Property today. www.arbfrenchproperty.com

English-speaking insurance agency addresses concerns over health cover

Based in Bordeaux, we are
the only SwissLife agency in
France to work with English-
speaking clients all over
France. We offer a wide range
of healthcare insurance,
general insurance solutions
and private banking, backed
by one of Europe’s leading
insurance providers.
As you would expect health cover offered
by Swisslife is comprehensive and we
enhance this with our helpful, English-
speaking, customer service.
We are currently offering three principal
types of health insurance cover:
Swisslife Santé Retraités appropriate
for retirees only. There are eight
complementary policies for retirees. After
3 years, 4 years and then 5 years of loyalty,
we automatically enhance your level of
Health Care Insurance, for free and offer
better reimbursements.
Swisslife Santé. This is suitable for
customers aged 18 to retiring age. We
offer nine complementary policies, all
policies also include reimbursements
for bills which are not reimbursed by
the French health system.
Swisslife Hospitalisation only. These are
available for life-long cover but must be
subscribed before the age of 65. The top up
of any bills relates to hospitalisation only.
Swisslife santé Retraités and Swisslife
santé provide full cover which includes
hospitalisation, surgery Dentistry, Optical,
doctor fees, specialists, xrays, Cardiologists,
pharmacy. Essentially anything covered by
the French health system will be reimbursed
by Swisslife.
We understanding that many people
are confused by the need for even a basic
level of protection let alone why one
would need additional cover for expenses
over and above the French state scale of
reimbursement. Hence we explain step by
step the procedures that are relative to an
individual’s situation.
Each case is different and there are many
misunderstandings based on hearsay or
inaccurate translations through a claim
reimbursement. Frequently asked questions
often relate to the care path and why at
times one receives a lower reimbursement
than expected. Medical franchises and
certain common phrases used in the
healthcare industry can lead to confusion.
Why do I need a health cover policy? Will
my medicines be free as they are in the UK?
Declaration de médecin traitant, what is
the importance of this, how do I proceed?
What is the télétransmission system? How
does it operate? What is a dépassement
d’honoraires? (specialists’ excesses). The
importance of requesting a prise en charge
hospitalière before an admission to the
hospital. These are questions which form
part of our ‘day to day’ telephone calls and
emails. We communicate the answers in
clear English.
For more information regarding our
health insurance plans, general enquiries
or questions on sales or claims procedures
contact our main administration office:
+33 (0)5 56 28 94 64
and speak to Marie
Email:
bordeaux.theatre@agence-swisslife.fr
Website:
www.swisslife-health-insurance.fr
(in English)

W E A R E R EC R U I T I N G !
Start a new career as a property sales agent

The secret to
success is loving
what you do.
Ido Bakker
Leggett Agent

READ
IDO’S
STORY

If you would like the freedom to grow a successful

business supported by an award winning team, please
contact our recruitment department:
+33 (0)5 53 60 82 77
recruitment@leggett.fr www.leggettfrance.com
Family owned
The Connexion removals
December 2022 company
www.connexionfrance.com features Directory 27
goes from strength to strength
COMMERCIAL FEATURES

Watson European are a family

owned company specialising in
international home removals,
storage, and vehicle transportation.
Owner Andrea Watson reviews the
last year.

“Our fundamental customer service ethos has not
changed despite the additional paperwork created by
the UK leaving the EU,” says Andrea. “If anything our
teams both office based and out on the road provide
an even more personal service than before.
“We offer advice on every aspect of the customs
formalities whether you are moving personal effects
to a second home or relocating your primary
residence to or from France.
“Over the past year we have developed excellent
relations with both our UK and French based
customs agents. This allows us to access expert
knowledge to assist with every aspect of a client’s
unique circumstance. Our friendly office team pride
themselves in understanding all individual needs and
as a result our services are far more comprehensive
than those of a traditional removal company.”
Andrea explains that over the last few years the
company has listened to the challenges faced by
people moving their possessions internationally and
says as a company Watson European has invested in
staff and equipment allowing them to become the
one stop shop for international home removals.
“Our latest investment is in a vehicle transporter
purpose built for use in Europe. This innovative
transporter allows us to carry a wide range of
vehicles including, cars, motorhomes and caravans.
The trailer incorporates winches that allow the safe
loading of not only non-running vehicles, but also
trailers, caravans etc. During the summer period
it is not uncommon for us to repatriate UK
registered vehicles for clients whose vehicles have
suffered mechanical failure. This allows repairs to be
carried out at home dealerships and can drastically
reduce the cost and stress of trying to have cars
repaired abroad.” 57 500 € 120 000 € 128 125 €
Another popular service is the temporary import
of cars and motorhomes from the UK to France for
the summer months. With customs regulations now
being strictly implemented by officials on both sides of
the channel, Watson European’s expertise with every
aspect from collection to delivery can be essential.
Andrea concludes, “Our 60 day free UK based
storage offer is proving as popular as ever, allowing
clients to travel at a pace to suit them safe in the
knowledge their belongings are being professionally
stored. Having invested heavily in the expansion of
our facility in Lincoln we are better equipped than
ever to provide long term solutions if unexpected
158 875 € 199 875 € 205 000 €
delays occur.
“It has been a demanding couple of years however
we are pleased to remain anindustry leader utilising
the latest technology whilst maintaining customer
focused old fashioned values.”
Whatever your removal requirements call
Andrea and her team at Watson European.
www.watsoneuropean.co.uk
Tel: Office 0044 (0) 1522 686 764
Andy 0044 (0) 7876 504 547 223 450 € 246 000 € 317 750 €
Email: enquiry@watsoneuropean.co.uk
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 28 Reader feedback connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

Egg shortages put spotlight on keeping hens at home

Avian flu has led to millions of
chickens and other birds having
to be killed, sending egg prices
soaring (up 18% in a year in
November) and raising fears
of shortages.
It is no surprise that more
and more people are opting
to keep their own hens. Some
mairies have even been giving
them to families to lower house-
The cost
The initial set-up cost varies, depend-
ing on whether you buy a ready-made
house or build one. If you buy one,
expect to pay around €200.
Coops and runs can often be bought
secondhand.
Depending on the size of the hen-
house you plan to install, it could fall
under the planning rules.
Nothing is needed if it is less than
5m² but above that you need to make
a déclaration préalable de travaux prior
‘There’s nothing quite like a fresh egg’ – Catherine Cooper, Ariège
My husband Alex and I have had chickens for about five years now. We
decided to get them a year or so prior to that, but as Alex wanted to build
the chicken house himself, it took longer than it might have done.
That said, he’s done a great job. The house has an automatic door which
opens and closes with the light, and the chickens soon learnt to put them-
selves to bed. It’s also plumbed with water, so while we check the chickens
once a day, we don’t have to top this up. We check them, take them scraps,
and collect eggs each day. But if we’re away it’s not a huge burden to ask
someone else to take over.
The house needs cleaning out about once a week, and we remove any
droppings from the nesting area when collecting eggs.

Photo: Alex Cooper

hold waste. For those looking to
give it a go, we review the rules
and share reader feedback
declaration to the mairie. Permission In terms of cost, we probably don’t save anything by having our eggs this
is given tacitly if there is no oppos- way. But there’s nothing quite like a fresh egg – they’re great to use or to
ition within a month (two months in
Catherine has had give away. And the chickens are like pets – inexpensive to keep and they
chickens for five years bring us a lot of joy.
certain protected areas).

Whether you are a fan of free-

range eggs or simply want to add
to your entourage of pets, you might
have considered keeping hens.
Chickens need inside space in which
to lay eggs and roost as well as a place
‘Each has their own personality’ – Helen Moore, Limousin
to move around, scratch and feed. I’d kept chickens for a while in the UK so – sometimes you get nothing, other times
They range in price, depending on got some almost straight away in France. We you’re awash with eggs! But with three chil-
breed and location, but you can pick went to Foire des Hérolles market in Vienne, dren and two adults in the house, we always

Photo: Helen Moore

If so, you are certainly not alone.
Between 2020 and 2021, the number
of people rearing hens and other farm-
yard animals at home was up 11%,
says Promojardin-Prom’animal, an
association championing all things
gardens and pets in France.
A rise in home-working and growing
interest in sustainable food sources are
among reasons cited and the current
avian flu crisis is unlikely to diminish
demand as people increasingly look to
avoid rising prices and supply issues.
While it is easy to romanticise
chickens in the backyard, the realities
can be somewhat different, but if you
do your homework first, keeping hens
can be a rewarding experience.
up a bird for around €10. Many mar-
kets sell them or you can check local
advertising or rehoming charities.
Although chickens will eat kitchen
scraps and leftovers, you also need to
buy corn to top up their feed. This can
prove expensive, especially as the cost
of corn has risen in recent months.
Rules and regulations
Check local rules about keeping chick-
ens with your maire, as these can vary
from commune to commune. You
should also consult current avian flu
advice about keeping them outdoors.
Generally, unless you are going into
a farming business, your flock needs
to be 50 hens or fewer. Consider,
where they have a whole section of poultry. make use of them.
As we live in a traditional stone house with Although I doubt we save much money
barn attached, there was a natural area to by ‘growing our own’ eggs, it’s worth it just
keep the chickens in, and we built an outside to have them around. They are so friendly
enclosure for them to peck around in during – each has their own personality and I love Helen’s children are
the day. Egg production can be hit and miss hearing them chattering away. chief hen-keepers
too, whether you want to invest in a Not all owners take their chickens to cannot sell eggs unless you have an
cockerel. Neighbours might object see a vet when ill but if you do, it can agricultural business.
to being woken or disturbed by loud be expensive. You might also want to
crowing. Chickens can be smelly if not get your chickens vaccinated to stop Eating your chickens
cleaned out regularly so, if you have them falling victim to diseases. If you decide to eat your chickens,
close neighbours, make sure you are It is important to help chickens keep make sure you research how to do
considerate of any impact on them. themselves clean by providing a dust this properly to avoid unnecessary
bath, which reduces the likelihood pain. Instruction videos on the proper
Caring for your chickens of mite infestation. Making a hole in preparation and butchering of chick-
Another expense to consider is the their outdoor area will enable them to ens can be found online, or consult a
cost of your flock becoming unwell. clean themselves. Note also that you local farmer or experienced owner.

Maggots, protests... locals react to

‘pay-as-you-throw’ waste system
by Charlotte Visser
After a trial period and sever-
al delays, parts of Dordogne in
south west France are now sub-
ject to a new waste management
scheme which aims to encour-
age people to throw away less.
It allocates households a set
quota of visits to collective bins
for a fixed sum and then charg-
es more for extra visits.
When SMD3, the firm run-
ning the service, announced the
rates in November, they were
significantly higher than it had
estimated earlier in the year.
For a household of two, like
mine, the annual subscription
has risen from €178 to €244.70,
a 37.4% increase. SMD3 blames
the rise on the higher cost of
fuel and electricity.
Previously, our waste bill was
paid as part of our taxe fon-
cière, based on the theoretical
rental value of the property.
For a two-bedroom house the
rate was around €90 per year.
The new so-called redevance
incitative (‘incentive fee’) is
designed to halve non-recycl-
able rubbish by 2025 to meet
government guidelines.
I have been issued a card
permitting 26 trips a year to a
smart new general waste con-
tainer where, after swiping, I
can hoist a maximum of two
black bags per go inside while
simultaneously pushing down
a pedal with my foot to keep
for overuse. As we move towards
a society in which surveill-
ance becomes the norm,
other services will no doubt
follow suit, such as electricity
consumption and the intro-
duction of a personal digital
Photo: Charlotte Visser
carbon footprint.
Maybe such initiatives are
the only way to curb consumer
excess. Invariably, however, we
end up paying more for less,
Rubbish piles up in front of and lose privacy in the process.
new waste bins in Dordogne Do we need such enforce-
the lid open. Extra visits will ment of ecological goals? Who
set me back €5.22. Since the is profiting? The effort would
new system, I have reduced my feel more genuine if the con-
general rubbish to virtually sumer was left better off for
nothing. I am not sure that my doing their bit – or at least not
total volume of waste has gone out of pocket.
down, but it is being redistrib- Households that do not use
uted from black to yellow their full quota of bin visits can
recyclables bags which have apply for the surplus to be
free collection. reallocated to people suffering
The success of the scheme from incontinence who need
relies, of course, on where more regular visits.
and how the recyclables are A door-to-door collection
processed. service can be arranged for dis-
One associated issue is that abled residents at an extra cost.
restricting bin visits means In these ways, it appears that
bags sit at home for up to two the scheme penalises some of
weeks. By then, they are heavy, the most vulnerable people in
smelly and full of maggots, society, as well as families with
particularly in summer. young children using nappies.
A single person would have Locals are fighting back by
only 16 deposits per year to my dumping their bags outside
26, and even more maggots. the containers.
It is no longer possible to dis- Tractors have been engaged
pose of your rubbish unrecord- in the protest too and one bin
ed. Not only do we have to near us has been vandalised by
pay for a service, but we get disabling the reader or scanner.
rationed, tracked and penalised so more rubbish can be added.
 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com Travel 29

Our dream holiday in Grenoble was on the house

As the cost of living
crisis continues to bite,
Chrissie McClatchie
explains how a house
swap might be the
free holiday solution
we are all looking for
MY HUSBAND and I packed up our
trusty Citroën C4 and, along with our
two young daughters and cat, set off
from our home in Villefranche-sur-
Mer in Alpes-Maritimes for a three-
week holiday in the Isère.
Our destination was a period-style,
three-storey, six-bedroom stone
dwelling dating from the Renaissance
in Biviers, a satellite commune just
outside Grenoble at the base of the
Chartreuse mountain range.
It was two summers ago – and one
of the best holidays we have had: after
months of lockdown when we worked
and homeschooled together inside our
62m² flat, the space was an incredible
luxury. In the morning, we would
throw open the glass bi-fold doors
cost of living crisis. However, not
all our family and friends shared
our enthusiasm for the idea.
“Aren’t you afraid of a stranger going
through your belongings?” they asked.
For us, this was simply not an issue.
Plus, we only had to think how much
we were saving on high-season
accommodation rates to be reassured
we had made a good choice.
Alongside the obvious financial
incentives, there are many other
advantages to house-swapping.
Lilli Engle, HomeLink’s France
representative of the past 35 years,
said: “It really ticks all the boxes –
it’s a sustainable way of experiencing
local culture and local people, allow-
ing you to get off the beaten track,
stay longer and travel less.”
When we first decided to explore
the possibility of a house swap, we did
not have a wish list of destinations.
Instead, we were quite open to the
opportunities that came our way – an
outlook Lilli credits with the “serendip-
ity” of platforms such as HomeLink.
“That’s the difference between us
and Airbnb,” she says. “You might
think you want to go to Spain, but you
get an offer from Italy and end up dis-
The family swapped an
for your exchange partner – a welcome
touch after a day on the road.
apartment in the south
of France for a big house
We also found handy explanatory
notes stuck all around the house and
with a garden in Grenoble a corner in the lounge room doubled
as a tourist information office.
Unfortunately, our exchange partner
had not divulged that her road was
being dug up that summer.
Some mornings we woke to machin-
ery parked outside our gate. Yet, it did
not feel part of the house-swap spirit
to complain, so we did not press the
issue with her.
In the first few days, both my
husband and I struggled to settle,
constantly on edge that the girls
would break a family heirloom or
spill something on the carpets.
Then, unconsciously, the worry
slipped away and we slowly relaxed
into the rhythm of our holiday.
After a flurry of messages with our
I started receiving messages. Despite exchange partner upon arrival (How
the size of our flat, I suspected our does your dishwasher work? Where’s
location, especially our proximity to the safest place to park my car?) we
the beach, would be an asset, and I left each other alone, only texting
wasn’t wrong. when really necessary – in our case,
Offers to swap from the UK, to break the news that one of her
Denmark, Germany, the US and fish had died.
even down the road in Cannes had As we approached the end of our
us mentally taking off for different time in Grenoble, we agreed we

and sip coffee while the girls giggled
on the trampoline.
Then, we would pile in the car and
head up into the Chartreuse to cool
down in waterfalls and tackle summits
with views towards Mont Blanc.
Each day ended with a meal, most
often a barbecue, in the garden.
The soundtrack to those summer
evenings was the gentle bleating of a
pair of sheep in the neighbour’s field.
What made the experience even
more enjoyable was the cost – or,
should I say, the lack of it.
Despite holidaying in the middle
of July, our accommodation was free.
Nearly 500km away, the owner of this
property was staying in our home.
We were on our first house swap.
House swapping is nothing new.
HomeLink, the website we used to
organise our exchange, was estab-
lished as far back as 1953.
Since Covid, however, the concept
has grown in popularity. As purse
strings tighten with rising energy
prices, house swaps are also a smart
solution for travel during the current
“
Supply and demand
statistics are heavily
in France’s favour
Lilli Engle,
HomeLink
covering your house swap soulmate.”
After paying the €150 annual fee to
sign up on HomeLink, I created a
profile, uploading photos of our flat
and writing a short description of our
home and neighbourhood, and the
dates we were interested in travelling.
Browsing listings in Tuscany or
Andalucía was a dreamy distraction in
the January rain. And, it would seem,
I wasn’t the only one getting summer
plans sorted out early – many swaps
are agreed six to nine months before-
hand. Soon after the listing went live,
parts of the world every few days.
“Supply and demand statistics are
heavily in France’s favour,” Lilli says.
“So your home in France really is
your passport to discover the world.”
In the end, we decided to play it safe
and stay within a comfortable driving
distance – a decision that paid off that
summer as Covid was still making
travel complicated.
Our exchange partner in Grenoble
was a 40-swap veteran who was happy
for us to bring our cat along. We were
sold on the photos of her garden with
its outdoor playhouse and swing set.
Plus, it was a part of the country we
had only ever seen from the autoroute.
In February, after discussing details
such as dates, number of guests, and
arrival and departure plans, we signed
an exchange agreement on HomeLink’s
website to formalise the deal.
“Reciprocity is the secret of success
for house-swapping,” Lilli says. “It’s
about mutual respect.”
The understanding is that you will
treat the other person’s home exactly
as you want them to treat yours. With
Mountains and waterfalls on the
doorstep made for an active break
it being our first swap, we had few
expectations or plans – apart from
collecting the keys from neighbours
down the road.
The girls squealed with excitement
at the sight of the garden as we drove
through the gates. My initial reaction
was more muted: the house was enor-
mous and if we did not wish to spend
our holidays cleaning, we would need
to close off certain parts.
HomeLink’s ‘Ten Principles for a
Successful Home Exchange’ recom-
mends having a welcome gift and
ingredients for the first night’s meal
would definitely do it all again.
Are house swaps for everyone?
“If you are looking to visit a busy
city centre at a specific time, then a
home exchange might not be for
you,” Lilli says.
That, I guess, is the catch. The
following summer, despite lots of back
and forth with potential exchange
partners, including serious discus-
sions with a couple in Switzerland,
we did not end up organising a house
swap. We could not find dates to
match in locations that appealed to us.
Last year, having just purchased a
holiday home in the Lot, we did not
renew our HomeLink membership.
However, second homes are ideal
for more flexible swaps that are not
dependent on exact date matches.
So, once we have fixed up the bath-
room and put in a new kitchen, I will
be rejoining to list our house in the
south west alongside our flat on the
Côte d’Azur.
Who knows where the home
exchange serendipity will next
lead us?

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 30 French life connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

Civil baptisms give secular families a Five things they don’t tell you...
about fashion in France
rite of passage – and excuse to party by Samantha David

What would you add to the list?

Tell us at news@connexionfrance.com
The vogue for civil christen- make a speech and conduct a
ings is gathering pace. ceremony during which the
Although impossible to count parents and godparents sign
accurately, as they are not baptism certificates.
recorded in official registers, After this, speeches, readings,
latest estimates from 2019 sug- songs, poetry, and music are
gest that 400 civil christenings all commonly used, and some
were carried out in Paris in people have come up with
2019, and 250 in Lyon. more complex ideas.
Le baptême républicain dates One of these is the sand
from 1792 when registers of ritual, which involves pouring
births, marriages, and deaths small quantities of coloured
were transferred from the sand into a glass jar. Each per-

Photo: Victoria Chudinova_shutterstock

Photo: Letty David
Catholic church (judged too son adds sand of a different
royalist) to the French state. colour and, once the top is on,
Civil baptisms were intro- the jar is shaken to symbolise
duced two years later in 1794. the inseparability of the family
They fell out of use but were Twins are welcomed into the Republic at a recent civil baptism and community. While each
revived by socialist maires dur- ally drawn up by parents and introducing the child to the colour is still visible, they are
ing the 1930s, and have been godparents and signed at a local community, and of inextricably mixed together.
steadily gaining in popularity notaire’s office. This could be affirming belief in the values Other people plant trees or
since the turn of the century. an arrangement to take care of of the French Republic. bury time capsules. 1. La boutique better form than hot pants or
These non-religious cere- the godchild in the event of the It also offers a rite of passage Parents generally use a chris- A traditional French a low-cut top, unless you are
monies celebrate the arrival of parents’ death, for example. for people without firm tening as an excuse to get the modiste prides herself on 15 and stunning like BB, and
a new baby and welcome them The ceremony is free but the religious affiliations, and can whole family together and being able to guess your dress even then... Oh, là là!
as a member of the Republic. maire is not legally obliged to provide a solution for parents invite lots of friends. Just make size as you step through her
Civil christenings have no perform it. of differing faiths. sure you establish the seating boutique door and will not 4. Le sport
more legal status than religious In rural communities where Unlike a religious christening, capacity at the mairie first! hesitate to tell you that she It is not necessary to be a
ones, and in some ways even villages facing depopulation there are very few rules. There After the ceremony, there is has nothing in your size. This great sportsperson to don
less because they are not are keen to welcome families is no requirement for parents usually a big party and it is is considered a service, in serious sports gear for your
recorded by the mairie, where- with young children, it is rare to be married, for example, traditional for guests to give case you did not realise how workout. You might ride your
as the Catholic church keeps for requests to be refused. If there can be any number of the baby presents. many cakes you have eaten bike only once a year but
formal records of people who they are, parents can simply godparents, and the form the Another ritual (also used at recently. Désolée, madame! when you do, you will not
have been baptised. ask at another mairie. ceremony takes can be worked weddings) is to give guests a dream of wearing jeans! You
Godparents can be appointed There are lots of reasons to out with the presiding maire. bag containing five sugared 2. Le style will be wearing spiky shoes
as part of the ceremony but, have a civil ceremony. It is a Indeed, the beauty of a civil almonds, representing the BCBG (bon chic bon genre) and spandex shorts with pro-
like their religious counter- way of publicly stating the christening is that it can be blessings heaped on the baby: describes the uniform tective bum padding just like
parts, they have no legal status emotional and moral links of made-to-measure for each health, fertility, happiness, adopted by the bourgeoisie the pros. Naturellement!
unless an agreement is form- the godparents to the child, of family. The maire will usually longevity and prosperity. française and is designed to
look stylish without standing 5. Le weekend
Why you might be asked for a ‘recent’ birth certificate out. No loud colours, no
exaggerated shapes or cuts.
No strategic safety pins, rips
Outside the
office, French
women just

Photo: Ksenia Faleva_

Official demands for birth certificates divorced, as well as to note any children in a covering letter the reason why their or holes, no blue hair, tattoos love their loaf-
for administrative tasks to be dated within born or name changes. Thus, when used as document is not recent. or scarlet nail polish. A fitted ers. Rarely seen

shutterstock
the last three months often proof of identification, there French people can get a recent copy of navy blue blazer is your on British
cause bewilderment to new- is usually a stipulation that their acte de naissance for free online via friend here. Excusez-moi! women, these
comers but are due to a key the version presented is no their Service-Public.fr account, or by post comfortable
difference between France’s ID more than three months old. or in person from the mairie where they 3. Le décolleté flats are always worn without
document and that of many Updates to the document were born. They can request either a copie Generally speaking, visible socks, and teamed with
other countries. are known as mentions intégrale (full copy) or an extrait (extract). French women do not deploy a classic chin-length bob, cig-
Whereas most anglophone marginales (notes in the When foreigners are granted French cleavage unless at the beach, arette pants, and an unfitted
nations never alter their birth margins). citizenship, they too are issued with a in which case anything goes – top – blue and white stripes if
certificates, a French acte de Foreigners who are not French birth certificate, which makes including topless. Otherwise, you are anywhere near water.
naissance is an evolving docu- French nationals can save administration in France necessarily easier. a carefully curated glimpse of Add pearl earrings or a small
ment and updated, for exam- time if asked to supply a By default, the document is issued from bosom or thigh is considered gold watch. On se détend!
ple, if the holder gets married, Pacs-ed or recently dated birth certificate by clarifying a dedicated centre in Nantes.

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 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com Community 31

Footpath named after WW2 spy who ‘saved London’

A cross-border footpath
between France and Switzer-
land has been opened to
commemorate the 98 border
crossings during World War
Two of a resistance fighter
known as ‘the Frenchman
who saved London’.
The path is a tribute to
Michel Hollard, who was the
and getting the footpath
Michel Hollard demonstrated
after the war how he walked idea accepted. Signs bearing
on barbed wire to avoid Mr Hollard’s name and a map
leaving a trace in the snow punctuate the 7km path, and a
commemorative plaque was
also unveiled at the station in
Morteau, with 98 drawings
showing each of his crossings.
Funding was provided by the
Communauté de Communes

Photo: DR. Private collection

Photo: CdC Val de Morteau

main source of information to
the British about the launch
sites for German V1 flying
bombs in France.
Local smugglers gave him
tips to avoid detection, includ-
ing ‘walking’ on barbed wire
fences to avoid leaving tracks
in the snow (see photo).
His son Vincent, who was 15
in 1945, told The Connexion:
“The work he did was very
important in helping the allies
win the war. Of course, we are
proud and happy that he is
being remembered.”
Using the information he
provided through a network of
agents he built himself called
AGIR – meaning ‘to act’ in
French – the RAF was able to
continually disrupt the build-
ing of the sites. It meant the
Germans’ planned targeting of
London and the English south
coast never reached the levels
they hoped for.
The V1 missiles needed
concrete and steel ramps for
launch, and Mr Hollard’s net-
work passed on locations as
soon as work started building
the ramps. After the war,
General Eisenhower said that if
the Germans had been able to
use V1 rockets six months
earlier, as they planned, it
would have been very difficult
to use the English south coast
as a launch site for D-Day.
Mr Hollard recalled the hard
times endured after his father
was forced underground and
then arrested, tortured and
thrown into a German concen-
tration camp.
“It exploded in the family and
was very difficult for us all.”
Michel Hollard was a decor-
ated lieutenant colonel from
World War One, who after the
war worked for a number of
Vincent Hollard (second from
right) opens his father’s footpath
companies in the car industry. London via neutral Switzerland
As a reserve officer, he was came to him.
called up in World War Two to Using friends he made in the
work in a military engineering area, he used smugglers’ paths
office, but resigned after realis- to cross and find Swiss officials
ing that some of the work the who would take the risk of
office was doing was being letting him pass unhindered
used by the Germans. to the British embassy in Bern.
He then joined a company A key member of the net-
making wood gas conversion work was a French farmer
kits for cars. A lack of petrol whose land stretched to the
meant that wood gas mechan- border. He and Mr Hollard
isms (gazogènes) were used to organised a code, using an
power cars, and French firms open or closed barn door, to
were among the first to mass- let him know if there were
produce kits during the war. border patrols around or not.
The job gave him papers to After being betrayed in
travel all over France to sell February 1944 and thrown into
and fit the kits, and it was a German camp, he was saved
during visits to the Doubs from almost certain execution
department, which borders in April 1945 by Count Folke
Switzerland, that the possibil- Bernadotte, vice-president of
ities of passing information to the Swedish Red Cross, who
du Val de Morteau, and a
spokeswoman said there were
still around 50 grandchildren
of people involved in the
Hollard network living in the
area, many of whom turned
helped ensure he left and trav- out for the footpath opening.
elled to Sweden. “It was not something people
After the war, he was made a talked about, and even now,
Commander of the Legion of there is a certain restraint
Honour by the French and was about doing so,” she said.
awarded a Médaille de la “During the war, their
Résistance Française with a parents were just told never to
rosette. He was also decorated talk about what was going on
by the British, who awarded and what they saw, and that is
him a Distinguished Service deeply engrained in the region.
Order medal. “But people are now more
He died in 1993, aged 95, but aware of the importance of the
his reluctance to boast of his history of that period and there
success and his status outside is more information available.”
the main Resistance networks She laughed when asked
meant that his work had been if the smugglers’ trails into
somewhat forgotten. Switzerland were still used
His granddaughter Agnès, by contrabanders.
however, has been active to “Since Switzerland, France
make sure his memory contin- and Europe have got so much
ues, including having a closer together, the opportun-
Eurostar train linking Paris ities to gain by smuggling have
and London named after him greatly reduced…”
 32 Practical
Barclays clients face delays transferring
money from closed accounts to France
British residents in France forced to
close their UK bank accounts have
reported delays and complications
when having their funds transferred.
Barclays has sent letters to clients in
recent months requiring them to close
their accounts.
They say they can no longer service
the accounts of customers living within
the European Economic Area.
Although the letters do not mention
Brexit, UK banks have lost the ability
to rely on the EU’s passporting system
and must obtain individual licences
in each state to continue operating
accounts in those countries.
Several readers have described an
arduous process trying to transfer their
money and standing orders.
Jill Roberton said she and her hus-
band Tony completed the required
forms to close their account after
receiving the letter, but when they
called to ask for progress, they spoke to
several people who had “no knowledge
of such compulsory account closures”.
“Finally, after six weeks and countless
lengthy expensive phone calls, we
reached someone who got things
moving and funds have now been
transferred,” she said.
“It made financial transactions at the
time extremely difficult.”
Reader Gill Fortt said she took the
ferry to England to visit her Barclays
Did you know?
branch because they required proof of
As a French resident, a UK
citizen can spend up to six
months in the UK; continuously,
should they so wish.
As a UK resident, stays in France / EU
(without a visa) are limited to 3 months.
Visit www.kentingtons.com for more information
M A K I N G
connexionfrance.com
months in total. Barclays confirmed
Current Account Switch Service, which
powers HSBC’s switching facility, is
only available for people in the UK,
Isle of Man, Guernsey, and Jersey.
Photo: Shutterstock_shawnwil23
Another reader, who preferred not
to be named, said she was able to use
the Switch Accounts facility, and that
this worked for UK-based payments.
“However, my and my husband’s US
pensions went seriously astray. He
received no pension money from the
Barclays has informed clients in US for 12 months.”
France it is closing their accounts She said they began receiving pay-
identity and address to transfer her ments from the US pension to their
balance to her French account. French account in January 2022 after
The bank said she could bring these almost 15 months of “letters and phone
documents to her local branch or send calls to both Barclays and HSBC, and
certified copies in the post. emails and phone calls to the ombuds-
“We have had the Barclay accounts man and the US embassy [and consul-
for 28 years so could not understand ate] in Paris and Marseille”.
why they needed proof of where we “It is fortunate we had our UK state
lived, as they sent us statements every and NHS pensions, otherwise we
month to our French address.” would have been in big trouble.”
Philip Hughes, who lives in Côtes- For others, the process went much
d’Armor, encountered issues using more smoothly.
HSBC’s Switch Accounts service, Susan Mason said: “I went online and
which automatically transfers direct transferred all my funds to my bank in
debits and standing orders from new France by SEPA. The money was in my
clients’ former accounts. French bank account the next day.”
“Barclays refused to let me use this, Reader Barbara Hunt had a similar
saying it is not for use by non-UK experience.
residents,” he said. “I have had to “We transferred all the money to the
write to all my pension providers and French bank using online banking with
get my standing orders transferred.” no problems at all.”
Mr Hughes said the process took two The UK is still part of the Single Euro
Y O U R L I F E I N F R A N C E
The Connexion January 2023
Payments Area (SEPA), which facilitates
cross-border payments.
While Ms Mason was not charged for
the transfer, since Brexit certain French
banks have been charging extra fees to
receive payments from the UK.
Barclays, contacted by The
Connexion, said customers are given
six months’ notice before their
accounts are closed, and they can
transfer funds to another account
during that time via online, telephone
or mobile banking.
If the balance is zero at the time of
closing, there is nothing more to do.
“If customers do not act prior to their
account being closed, their funds will
be held securely until they reclaim,” a
spokesperson said. The reclaim form is
found at tinyurl.com/barclaysclosed.
The process includes providing ID
and proof of address, which must be
certified by a Barclays member of staff,
a notary public, or an embassy, consular
or high commission official.
The statement continued: “Customers
with savings accounts will continue to
earn interest on their balances even
after their account closes until the
funds are reclaimed.
“When making large transfers,
customers may be required to call the
Barclays fraud team to pass through
security checks.”
More information is available at
tinyurl.com/barclaysfrance.
L E S S
France: +33 (0)805 03 00 01
UK: +44 (0)8451 23 84 23
Web: www.kentingtons.com
Simulators can
help simplify
paperwork
It is now easier for foreign residents
to find out which documents they
need when applying for French
citizenship through marriage thanks
to a new online simulator, one of
many offered by authorities in an
effort to simplify paperwork.
You can apply for French nation-
ality if you have been married to a
French citizen for at least four years.
Once you have filled in the online
form, the website will provide a
personalised list of documents you
need to provide to support your
request, thus avoiding unnecessary
back-and-forths. The form is at
tinyurl.com/simulatormarriage.
People applying for citizenship
through naturalisation already had
the option to generate a personalised
list of documents at tinyurl.com/
simulatornaturalisation.
Government website Service-Public.
fr proposes 107 simulators, for
everything from checking the income
tax declaration deadlines for your
department to calculating the cost of
registering a car in France, and see-
ing which benefits you qualify for.
Some of these link to outside
sources, such as the European
Commission’s calculator for the
remaining number of days you can
spend in the Schengen Area.
The full list is available here:
tinyurl.com/simulatorlist.
T A X I N G
 The Connexion January 2023
The Connexion
Money / Tax page
Why am I paying
two lots of tax at
end of the year?
I HAVE noticed increases in amounts taken
out of my bank account for income tax
towards the end of the year. I am trying to
work out how overpayments in one year may
be carried over as a credit against tax for
the following year. How is this meant to
work? Also, my last avis d’impôt seemed
to indicate a reduction in tax relating to
Plafond épargne retraite, which results,
I think, in me paying less tax this year.
However, I have had no change in personal
finance circumstances since 2019. D.B.
WHEN IT comes to payment of taxes during
the year, the system is complicated.
If one takes any tax year, the calendar year,
income tax declarations are made mid-April to
early June for the income of the previous tax/
calendar year, and the assessments on this
income are issued from the end of the following
July onwards.
There are two consequences: first, the balance
of any income tax and social charges due on the
previous calendar year’s income is due to be paid
in up to four instalments, from September to
December (if any refund for overpayment is due,
this will be paid out in late summer). Secondly,
new on-account amounts of tax and the social
charges start being payable from September
through to August of the following year.
The monthly amount is around 1/12th of the
total tax and social charges due on the latest tax
assessment, though exceptions do occur in this
amount, depending on the sources of income.
In the following year the same thing will
happen, and so on each year.
These payments, identified on a bank state-
ment as the on-account monthly payments, are
taken around the 15th of the month and the
balancing amounts are taken around the 25th.
Note that if the on-account amounts based on
the previous declaration are likely to be inaccur-
ate compared to the real income received, you
have the option of adjusting this in your account
on the tax website under Gérer mon prélèvement
à la source and Gérer vos acomptes.
As for the plafond épargne retraite, this is for
those who could contribute to a French private
pension, the function of which is to confirm the
maximum tax-deductible premiums that can be
paid into a scheme by the taxpayer.
The Connexion welcomes queries and publishes a selection with answers every
edition. However, please note that we cannot enter into correspondence on
money topics. Queries may be edited for length and style. Due to the sensitive
nature of topics we do not publish full names or addresses on these pages.
connexionfrance.com Practical: Money 33
Fraud inspectors
use technology
to track evasion
TAX inspectors regularly use technology to find
Photo: Daenin_shutterstock
fraudsters and tax dodgers, a report on the
activity of the Finance Ministry shows.
One element is the recent use of Google satellites
in certain areas to track unregistered pools. The
ministry expects €40million to be recovered from
this, once the whole country has been checked.
The system can also be used to check extensions,
Send your financial queries to garages and other unexplained buildings that do
not match tax service declarations, though it has
Hugh MacDonald at been found to be harder to analyse these.
money@connexionfrance.com. Please ensure you mark Pools should be declared to the tax office within
your emails for the attention of Mr MacDonald 90 days of completion. This will add to the prop-
erty value used to work out bills for taxe foncière
(and taxe d’habitation if it is a second home).
My sister in the UK is my sole heir: would Other ways inspectors use technology include:
n ‘Robot trackers’ (automatic web-searching
she be liable to pay for French inheritance? programmes) of property transactions. These
match details with tax declarations to see if people
have not declared for IFI property wealth tax, or
I HAVE lived in France since 2003. As I estate valued at €375,000, bequeathed to your have under-declared property values;
have no children, my next blood relative is sister who, as a sibling, would benefit from n Use of data in the Gérer mes biens immobiliers
my sister, who lives in the UK. I have made an abatement of only €15,932, the calculation service, which allows landlords to see all their
a French will naming her as beneficiary would be made on €359,068. A first part properties linked to their online tax account (but
to my estate. I own a small house worth of €24,430 would be taxed at 35% (giving can also help inspectors check correct declar-
€190,000 and my estate is worth a total €8,550.50 tax) and €334,638 would be taxed ations for IFI, or of rents);
€375,000. Would my sister be liable to pay at 45% (€150,587.1), so in total €150,587.1, n Looking at public social media posts, eg. to
inheritance tax and, if so, at what rate? S.K. rounded to €150,587. The average tax rate check if someone’s lifestyle is unusually luxurious.
overall would come to 42%.
LIABILITY to the French inheritance tax from
French assets is based on the country of residen-
There is a very limited loophole for siblings
to avoid tax but the conditions include them Revolut: French accounts
cy of the donor, ie. yourself. On the basis of an having lived with you for five years.
do offer scam protection
What are the rules for Refused renovation aid:
Concerns have been raised in the UK that some
users of the online financial service Revolut were
not compensated after falling victim to fraud – but
selling collectibles? where can we find help? the status of accounts is different for the firm’s
French-based clients.
REGARDING collectors’ items, I am told you WE WERE hoping for aid under the Revolut does not have the status of a ‘bank’ in
can sell up to €5,000/year from a MaPrimeRénov’ scheme for renovation work, the UK and so is not signed up to a UK banking
private collection without any tax on the but were turned down because we had already code on reimbursement in cases of fraud.
sale. Is this true? And is this based on the signed a contract for the work and they said However, Revolut’s customers in France have
gross sales price paid by the buyer or the we should have applied for the aid before we full ‘bank’ accounts, either based in Lithuania, or,
net received by the seller after expenses signed this. Is this small difference enough to if they have requested this, at a new French sub-
such as auction fees? If I were to sell be refused? Can we do anything? F.A. sidiary. France has standard rules on account
€6,000-worth, for example, do I declare fraud, which allow for reimbursement subject to
€1,000 or do I declare it all and trust that UNFORTUNATELY, as they say, ‘rules is rules’. certain conditions. Revolut told The Connexion
they will deduct the first €5,000? R.K. The website for the scheme does state that you the same rules would apply whether your account
should apply with devis (quotes) for the work, is based in France or in Lithuania.
IT IS correct that up to €5,000 in value of art not already having paid… So, ultimately, it is not
objects and collectibles can be sold tax-free,
this limit being based on the gross sale value
surprising they turned down your request.
That said, it might be worth a letter of com- UK benefit will continue
of all such sales in the tax year, before any plaint, as it is possible they could reconsider and PAYMENTS to residents in France of UK
deduction of fees. this might enable you to finally obtain your grant. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA –
For sales that, in total, exceed this, the whole The Ecology Ministry is ultimately responsible formerly long-term incapacity benefit) are not
amount is subject to 6% tax and the CRDS for the scheme. You could ask for help from an expected to be at risk despite recent reports that
social charge, so a combined due of 6.5%. The adviser at the network of france-renov.gouv.fr. ESA is among benefits to be axed next year.
declaration is made on form 2091-SD. Couple warn of grant scheme ‘frustrations’: Page 38 Many claimants are being moved to ‘universal
credit’, which is not exportable. Britons in France
The information on these pages is of a general nature. You should not benefiting from the Withdrawal Agreement can
act or refrain from acting on it without taking professional advice on the
specific facts of your case. No liability is accepted in respect of these claim ESA on the basis of past National Insurance
articles. These articles are intended only as a general guide. Nothing herein contributions. The DWP said only ‘income-based’
constitutes actual financial advice. ESA is stopping, not contributions-based.
 34 Practical: Money
Recent turmoil shows wisdom of sound planning
This column is by Rob Kay, a
senior partner at Blevins Franks
financial advice group (blevins-
franks.com). Rob has decades of
experience advising UK nationals
in France and features regularly
in the media discussing the
issues affecting expatriates here.
Here we are at the start of another year,
wondering what it will bring. Hopefully it will
be a calmer, more peaceful one than those we
have seen latterly.
There is no denying recent years have been chal-
lenging. Brexit uncertainty, the global pandemic,
war in Ukraine and escalating inflation have been
hard on a personal and emotional level.
On a financial level, we are all feeling the
impact of the high cost of living, there are
concerns about rising taxes (though less so in
France), and investors have seen the effect all
this has had on their portfolios.
We have learned that you never know what
is around the corner, and that some things are
simply out of our control. This perhaps makes it
even more important to take control where we
can, particularly when it comes to our family’s
long-term security. So what steps can you take to
protect yourself, not just for 2023 but beyond?
Tax planning
Unlike some of its neighbours, the French
government does not want to increase taxes
as a response to inflation.
This is welcome news (and hopefully it won’t
change), especially considering that France
already imposes one of the highest tax burdens
in the EU. An annual study by the Institut
connexionfrance.com
économique Molinari shows France has the
second-latest ‘tax freedom day’ (the first day of
the year on which a nation as a whole has theoret-
ically earned enough income to pay its taxes) with
July 17 – just one day before Austria – making it
harder for employees to cope with the rising cost
of living.
While the study focused on employees and
includes social security payments, retired people
also feel the high tax burden, especially without
effective tax planning in place.
Good tax planning can achieve many benefits:
n Reducing your tax bills – more money to spend,
save for your later years or leave to your family in
the future.
Your planning should be based around the
French tax regime, how the local rules impact
you and the arrangements available here, such as
assurance-vie policies, that could provide signifi-
cant tax advantages and other benefits;
n Maximising real returns – effective tax planning
can help returns outpace the cost of living. Ulti-
mately, what counts when assessing investments
are ‘real’ returns – after all tax, expenses and
inflation are taken into account;
n Less taxation for your heirs – take the time now
to ensure as much of your estate as possible goes
to your family and heirs, rather than the taxman;
n More flexibility with estate planning – many
investment arrangements that provide tax
efficiency, such as assurance-vie policies, also offer
estate planning flexibility and control, and make
life easier for your heirs.
Your savings and investments
We cannot control what may or may not happen
in the markets in future, nor can we know what
interest rates and inflation will be five, 10, or 20
years from now. But we can take steps to build
The Connexion
an investment portfolio that is based around our
risk profile, circumstances, time horizon and
objectives, and:
n includes suitable asset allocation and
diversification to control risk;
n is designed to provide capital growth over the
longer term to beat inflation and maintain spend-
ing power through retirement;
n is reviewed annually to keep it on track,
maintain our risk weightings, and make any
necessary adjustments.
Geopolitical events and market turbulence can
be unsettling for investors, but if you have a long-
term plan it is usually best to stick to it and avoid
knee-jerk reactions. Investing is a marathon not a
sprint, and being patient generally pays off.
Your pensions
Our pension funds are key to our long-term
financial security, so take care to do what is
right for you. Explore and weigh up all your
options, and take your situation, aims and time
horizon into account. The situation can change
rapidly with pensions so ensure your advice is
up to date.
You should also establish what the tax implica-
tions are in France and what works best for you as
a resident. Many expatriates transfer UK pensions
to a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension
Scheme (QROPS) for the advantages they can
offer, but they do not suit everyone.
You may find it more beneficial, for example,
to reinvest UK pension funds into French-
compliant investment arrangements, or to
leave your UK pension where it is.
Inheritance planning
While we cannot avoid death, with good estate
planning we can control who receives our assets
January 2023
and when. Is your inheritance planning on track
to go to your chosen heirs according to your
wishes and with minimal taxation?
Research the succession laws and inheritance
taxes in France and anywhere else you have assets
and heirs, then take appropriate action.
You need a strategy that achieves your wishes
while making the process as straightforward and
tax-efficient as possible for your heirs.
Is it time to involve your family?
Talking about death can be uncomfortable, but
there are benefits to involving family with your
financial and estate planning. When the time
comes for them to inherit, they will be much
better prepared to deal with the process and
the assets they receive.
It is a good idea for couples to attend at least
some financial meetings together, even if the
investments are just in one name. That way both
of you will have a relationship with your adviser,
making it easier to deal with them when one of
you is suddenly on their own.
You could also consider introducing your chil-
dren to your adviser so they know who to contact
and what to do when the time comes.
A careful, strategic financial planning review
will ensure you are best placed to prepare for
what is ahead, both known and unknown.
Cross-border financial planning is complex and
needs to be designed around your specific circum-
stances and wishes, so take specialist advice.
n Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any
statements concerning taxation are based upon our,
Blevins Franks, understanding of current taxation
laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax
information has been summarised; an individual is
advised to seek personalised advice.
 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com Ideas 35

Algae farm windows help flats go green Wind turbine

blades to get
Windows filled with microalgae are under plastic tunnels in summer.
to feature in a new student residence in
Paris – both to insulate the building and
Ms Legendre says the most profitable
market will probably initially be for
a second life
to offer cultivation opportunities fresh algae, used in certain recipes
The triple-glazed windows comprise and as a health tonic. A French entrepreneur has
standard double-glazing with an extra It is difficult to buy in shops as it is launched a pilot factory to
layer filled with warm water connected challenging to keep it for very long. demonstrate his new process of
to a pump system, in which the More interesting in the long term will recycling large pieces of carbon
microalgae will be grown. be microalgae grown specifically for use fibre, such as aircraft wings and
Microalgae have a variety of commer- in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The wind turbine blades.
cial uses, including in health foods, as strictly controlled conditions of the Using robots driven by artifi-
biofuel, and in the manufacture of algae windows mean that very pure cial intelligence, the Nantes
pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. products can be made. factory reduces the carbon
Anouk Legendre, one of two architects It was hoped the microalgae could fibre into tiny particles and
in charge of the project in the 9th also be used to make biofuel – the then re-forms it into a new
arrondissement, said: “It is a very bene- University of Poitiers led global material, which can be used for
ficial system, reducing energy consump- research into this – but it did not make items such as car body panels

Photo: XTU Architects

tion of the building by 50% and the
energy needed to grow the microalgae
by 80%. In addition, you have a crop of
top-quality microalgae to harvest, with
market prices for high-demand species
of between €500 and €800 a kilogram.”
The algae windows will be inter-
spersed with clear panes so residents
can see out, but will let a green light
filter into the interior.
Ms Legendre’s firm, XTU Architects,
has been busy on the project for 10
years, building a working prototype
four years ago.
The nine-storey residence, which will
provide accommodation for doctoral
students, is due to open by September
2024 and will have 350m² of the algae
windows. “It is a bit too small for optimal
efficiency, for which you would need
800m² of windows, but should still
provide significant revenue and energy
The insulating property of the windows will cut energy costs in the building
savings to offset cost,” said Ms Legendre.
Energy savings come from the inertia of
the building’s mass, meaning the algae
solution does not have great variations
of temperature, while the fluid-filled
windows provide good insulation and
some heat to the building.
“It is a symbiotic relationship: the
building benefits from the algae and
the algae benefit from the building,”
said Ms Legendre.
“In a world where the population is
growing continuously and where cities
are getting larger and more crowded, we
see it as a solution to provide vegetable
protein, which will be needed as an
economic sense. and computer cases.
A technician will be employed to run In the past, the disposal of
the microalgae system and harvest the wind turbine blades has been
product five days a week. problematic. Early ones, made
In future, if other buildings are con- from glass fibre, are still just
structed nearby with the same system, about impossible to recycle, but
alternative to animal protein. Another the technician will be able to manage more modern carbon fibre ones
benefit is that the algae absorb carbon them too as the circuits are highly can now have a second life.
dioxide and give out oxygen, like plants, computerised. Benjamin Saada, founder of
as they grow.” The cost of installing microalgae Fairmat, said in a BFM TV
The microalgae are harvested by windows to a building is “significant”, interview: “It saves them from
drawing off up to a third of the water said Ms Legendre, although it varies landfill or being incinerated,
in the window system each day. This is depending on the construction. where lots of potentially toxic
then put through a centrifuge, and the “Every project is so different that it gases are released.”
clean water returned to the circuit. is impossible to say how much extra it The company was founded in
Algae varieties are still being perfected will cost,” she said. 2020 and Mr Saada hopes to
for the system, but it can be used for the “What is clear, however, is that the build a fully functioning factory
common spirulina algae found in most sale of the microalgae and lower energy in France soon.
health food stores as a supplement. costs as a result of having the windows “The move to re-industrialise
The price for this algae, however, mean that, in the long term, the build- in France means there is huge
would be well below the €500/kg target, ing will cost much less to run than one demand for materials to make
as it can be grown successfully outside without the system.” things with,” he said.

Toothbrush Door-to-door car hire firm

reinvented looks to all-electric future
AN electric
toothbrush A car hire firm that delivers
designed by
two French
men in 2017
has proved
vehicles to customers’ door-
steps in Paris and Lyon has
had a €24million boost from
the state to convert to an
Tax-efficient solutions
Photo: Fasteesh

for expatriates in France.

such a success all-electric fleet.
that they are Carlili started seven years ago
investing in a after its co-founder, Vincent
€12million factory near Lyon Moindrot, noticed how
Photo: Carlili

to produce them. increasingly complicated it was

The Y-Brush looks like a
sports mouthguard but has
bristles inside. Users put tooth-
paste on the bristles and then
fit the Y-brush over their teeth
before turning it on.
It takes only five seconds to
clean all the teeth it touches,
before the brush is turned over
to tackle teeth on the other jaw.
Benjamin Cohen, who jointly
came up with the idea, said: “I
always detested toothbrushes,
and how long it takes to clean
your teeth properly with them.
“I thought there must be some
way to advance the technology,
which has not changed much
for 500 years.”
The Y-Brush went on sale in
2020, selling 20,000 in the first
year despite costing €80. The
company, FasTeesH, expects to
pass the 100,000 mark in 2022.
The toothbrush’s heads last six
months and replacements start
from €35.
to own a car in cities.
It has managed to grow in a
market dominated by large
established firms such as Avis
and Hertz, mainly by shunning
cheap special offers, offering an
online reservation and payment
platform, and providing door-
to-door delivery and pick-up
within two hours.
In many parts of Paris, find-
ing a parking space close to
home is challenging. It is not
uncommon to see groups of
residents all exit their building
at around 10:00, when parking
restrictions ease, to move cars
nearer to where they live.
Mr Moindrot, a longstanding
believer that car hire is better
for the planet than car owner-
ship, reiterated his company’s
ecological credentials on
announcing the €24million
capital investment by the state-
owned Banque des Territoires
and Demeter, a fund the state
Carlili co-founder Vincent
Moindrot hopes the fleet will
be 100% electric by 2025
ment the daily use of other,
less carbon-intensive forms With advisers living locally and backed by teams Talk to the people who know
of transport.” of specialists, we can help you make the most of
Carlili hopes to buy 300 your wealth and living in France. Our holistic 0 805 112 163 (N0 Vert)
Teslas with the money, divided advice covers: france@blevinsfranks.com
between Model 3 and Y types.
Until now, the firm has relied Tax planning – minimising tax on income,
on the fleets of its partners. capital gains, wealth, pensions and inheritances. www.blevinsfranks.com
“We want to be a 100%
electric car rental company by Estate planning – helping ensure the right
2025,” said Mr Moindrot. money goes to the right people at the right time.
It currently still has petrol
and diesel vehicles for hire. Investments – designing portfolios to suit your
Prices are advertised from £52 circumstances and goals.
per day on the firm’s website UK pensions – exploring your options to find
for a Citroen C3 or Peugeot
the best solution for you.
208. Add to that a service fee of
€20 for delivery and collection.
At the moment, the service
is only available in Paris and INTERNATIONAL TAX ADVICE • INVESTMENTS • ESTATE PLANNING • PENSIONS
Lyon, but there are plans to
expand to other cities. Blevins Franks Group is represented in France by the following companies: Blevins Franks Wealth Management Limited (BFWML) and Blevins Franks France

The firm claims the brush is
21% more efficient than a
manual one in reducing dental
plaque, and 75% better than
set up to encourage greener
transport in France.
“Our goal is to accelerate
towards a world where the car
Mr Moindrot said it was not SASU (BFF). BFWML is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority, registered number C 92917. Authorised to conduct investment
services under the Investment Services Act and authorised to carry out insurance intermediary activities under the Insurance Distribution Act. Where advice
only cars which will move from is provided outside of Malta via the Insurance Distribution Directive or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II, the applicable regulatory system
differs in some respects from that of Malta. BFWML also provides taxation advice; its tax advisers are fully qualified tax specialists. Blevins Franks France
an owning to a leasing model SASU (BFF), is registered with ORIAS, registered number 07 027 475, and authorised as ‘Conseil en Investissements Financiers’ and ‘Courtiers d’Assurance’
Category B (register can be consulted on www.orias.fr). Member of ANACOFI-CIF. BFF’s registered office: 1 rue Pablo Neruda, 33140 Villenave d’Ornon – RCS
in future – he expects expen- BX 498 800 465 APE 6622Z. Garantie Financière et Assurance de Responsabilité Civile Professionnelle conformes aux articles L 541-3 du Code Monétaire et
067-fr

Financier and L512-6 and 512-7 du Code des Assurances (assureur MMA). Blevins Franks Trustees Limited is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial
oscillating electric toothbrushes is only used for certain jour- sive household and garden Services Authority for the administration of retirement schemes. This promotion has been approved and issued by BFWML.

in reducing gum inflammation. neys,” he said. “It will comple- appliances to do so too.
 36 Work / Craft connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

Self-employed can
Left: Some of the many finial
flower moulds the firm uses

claim death benefit

Lump sum death benefits
are available in France for
Right: Animal designs are
growing more popular, with
some homeowners asking
for their pets to be featured
Pacs partner or child under the
age of 21, accompanied by an

Photo: La Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent

Photo: La Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent

husbands, wives and Pacs
partners of some independent
workers, and can reach tens
of thousands of euros.
Salaried workers and fonction-
naires are also entitled to the
benefits. However, one peculiar-
CRAFTS
annual pension for the partner
until the age of 60 of €1,578.
For the middle level subscrip-
tion, this rises to a lump sum of
€47,340 and pension of €4,734,
and for the highest level, the in focus
lump sum is €78,900 and the
Epis de faîtage - finials

Dominique will put your

ity of the system is that families
of salaried workers, usually very
well protected, get the relatively
smallest lump sums.
pension €7,890.
Artisans, independent shop-
keepers or factory owners have
death benefit lump sums calcu-
lated according to a government

pet dog or cat on the roof

Salaried workers
The capital décès (death
benefit) for salaried workers
is €3,539 and is paid as long
as, in the three months before
death, the deceased was either
in employment, unemployed
and receiving unemployment
benefit, off work due to a work
accident or job-related illness
with a 66.6% disability, or re-
ceiving a pension d’invalidité.
The money is paid out by the
local Cpam or, for farmers and
agricultural workers, the MSA.
Who gets the money is
decided in the first instance by
finding out if there are béné-
ficiaires prioritaires who were
financially dependent on the
deceased. These can include the
spouse or Pacs partner of the
deceased, children, and parents
or grandparents. Priority is
given in that order.
formula of 20% of the social
security ceiling in the year of
death. In 2022, it was €8,227.
In most cases, the caisse will
have asked beforehand for the
person to nominate someone,
usually a spouse, on a special
form. If no one is nominated,
then a claim, which will be
ranked much like claims for A particularly
salaried workers, can be lodged ornate example of
with the caisse. a roof finial in situ
People with independent
worker pensions also have
death benefit lump sums in the
French system, calculated at 8%
of the social security ceiling,
equal to €3,290 in 2022.
French civil servants
For titled fonctionnaires, the
full death benefit is available
for those who die in service,
but the amount is reduced if
they are still working after the

Photo: La Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent

Photo: La Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent

If there are several bénéfici-
aires prioritaires of the same
‘rank’, such as children, the
money is divided equally
among them.
Where there are no bénéfi-
ciaires prioritaires, or if they
have not made a request for
the lump sum in the month
after the death, the money is
allocated first to the deceased’s
spouse/Pacs partner (as long as
there is not a legal separation),
then to children, and finally to
parents/grandparents.
Requests for the lump sum,
if you are a bénéficiaire priorit-
aire, have to be made in the
month after the death.
Where there are no bénéfici-
aires prioritaires, the request
can be made up to two years
after the death.
Independent workers
For independent workers, it is
not so straightforward – death
benefits are usually linked to
the retirement fund they pay
into, and vary considerably.
They are also linked to widow
or widower pensions.
An example is given by Cipav,
the pensions caisse for liberal
professions (doctors and nurses
outside the hospital system,
lawyers, and various freelanc-
ers). It gives death benefits
according to the level people
pay into their retirement.
For the benefit to be paid out,
the deceased must have been
up to date with payments for
the past three months.
For the lowest level of retire-
ment subscription, the lump
sum is €15,780 to a spouse or
retirement age of 62.
It is paid out first to children
under 21 who are not paying
impôt sur le revenu, then to the
spouse or Pacs partner, as long
as they have been married or
Pacsed for two years. The ratio
is one third for the partner and
two-thirds to the children.
The amount paid is more than
for salaried workers, and equiv-
alent to the annual salary of the
calendar year before death.
If the deceased is over 62 and
not retired, the amount is a
quarter of their annual salary.
Where they did not have
fonctionnaire status but were
employed as an agent d’état,
the sum is equal to the last 12
months’ wages.
Sums paid from abroad
Where the deceased formerly
worked and paid into another
country’s social security system,
the survivor may also be eligible
for help from that country.
In the case of UK pensioner
couples, when one member dies,
the other may be eligible for a
state pension increase and/or
a lump sum. The rules depend
on when you and your partner
married and reached state
pension age. The international
pension centre can help (gov.uk/
international-pension-centre).
Survivors under pension age
may get the UK’s Bereavement
Support Payment (gov.uk/be-
reavement-support-payment/
how-to-claim). Some private
pensions also pay out, depend-
ing on the contract details.
These sums would be declara-
ble to France for income tax.
by Théophile Larcher
Dominique Kay Mouat
started life in Guernsey and
spent her childhood in and out
of her mother’s pottery studio.
When her mother bought the
Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent, an
historic workshop near Caen
(Calvados), Dominique joined
her five years later, in 1992.
“She needed someone with IT
knowledge,” Dominique said,
in an effort to modernise the
company and take advantage
of online opportunities.
The pottery was founded in
1842 and specialises in épis de
faîtage (finials) – decorative
roof ornaments typically based
on a ridge tile to emphasise the
gable end or apex of the roof.
She had studied fine arts
in the UK and worked in
Paris, so it did not take long for
Dominique’s role to extend to
the ceramics side of the busi-
ness and keeping up the long
tradition of Mesnil de Bavent.
She has been there for 30
years now, and uses many of
the same methods as when the
pottery first opened.
Epis de faîtage have tradition-
ally depicted birds and animals
– in a religious capacity, as
representative of the Holy
Spirit, for example. However,
as Christianity’s influence has
Dominique has been
making finials at
Mesnil de Bavent for
more than 30 years
waned, other animals have but there is real excitement lives in France with her Irish
been introduced, two of the that comes from the creative husband, Jeremy Flynn, whom
most popular of which are process,” Dominique said. she met in the UK via their
cats and swallows. Each one takes an average mutual love for sailing.
One American couple even three months to create. Jeremy gave up both his
asked for finials depicting their Mesnil de Bavent counts career and his home to be with
pets – a golden retriever, labra- mairies, architects and private her at Mesnil de Bavent and
dor and a black-and-white cat. individuals among its custom- help raise their two children.
Another client who travelled ers, and has delivered as far as He, too, now works as a
extensively wanted a toucan. Japan, the United States and ceramicist at the workshop.
Epis de faîtage were first used Mexico in the past. In 2007, Dominique and
to prevent rain damaging the While Dominique studied in her colleagues helped secure
framework but grew massively the UK, French people looking Entreprise du Patrimoine
popular in the 19th century as to follow her into the craft Vivant status for the pottery,
decorative pieces. will need to enrol at special- which is conferred by the
They are not, contrary to ist ceramics schools, such as Ministry of Economics and
popular French belief, an indi- Cnifop, Ecole d’art céramique Finance to French companies
cation of the property owner’s in Vallauris (Alpes-Maritimes) demonstrating excellence in
wealth. Many people equate or the Ecole arts et techniques artisanal know-how.
bigger épis de faîtage with céramiques in Paris. Epis de faîtage were listed
bigger means, but their size is Students will start with a CAP among France’s intangible
generally supposed to be scaled vocational course for two to cultural heritage in 2008.
to a tenth of the property size, three years, but could extend “My role is to showcase the
explained Dominique. this and graduate with a BMA savoir-faire and regional trad-
The clay is not local but or BTS up to the Diplôme Nat- itions around épis de faîtage,”
rather comes from Limoges ional Supérieur d’Expression said Dominique.
(Haute-Vienne), where it is Plastique (DNSEP), the highest “I am proud of the work we
proven to be better at resisting level in ceramic studies. have accomplished so far but
cold temperatures. Crafting in France for 30 there are still a lot of things
It is moulded as per the years has brought Dominique to do.”
chosen design and fired at its fair share of ups and downs. The company is constantly
1,140C for 30 hours before Her English accent has virtual- looking to the future with new
being left to rest for a couple ly disappeared in that time, but collections and ideas.
of days. After this, glazes are she says there are still frequent To that end, it is currently
applied to colour, decorate and misunderstandings when searching for a potter with at
waterproof the finials, and then working alongside her French least five years of experience
they are fired for a second, third colleagues – largely due to the to join the team.
and sometimes a fourth time. very different sense of humour British potters are more than
“Every new épi is a challenge between the two nations. She welcome to apply.
 The Connexion January 2023
Post-war experiment built
estate of 56 unique houses
Architecture
of France...
Merlan By
THEOPHILE
LARCHER
In Noisy-le-Sec, in the eastern suburbs
of Paris, there is a housing estate like no
other in France.
Organised into two blocks separated by
a main road (Avenue du Général Leclerc),
56 standalone properties were inspired by
seven different countries and each is unique.
The estate, called Merlan, was the result
of a post-World War Two reconstruction
effort that for years went largely under the
radar of historians and even people who
lived near it. It was known as the cité
expérimentale, and was developed between
1946 and 1951 to provide affordable
housing to families dispossessed as a result
of repeated bombing during the war.
They took up residence in state-of-the-art
furnished houses designed by an assort-
ment of Swedish, Finnish, British, Swiss,
American, Canadian and French architects.
The homes were largely prefabricated,
assembled from kits delivered by boats and
trucks, and contrasting sharply to typical
French houses of the period.
Originally state-owned, they were slowly
sold to private buyers in the 1980s, and
many have subsequently been extended,
renovated or demolished.
“The cité had the charm of an anti-war
utopia,” said Hélène Caroux, historian and
researcher at the Service du patrimoine
culturel du département de la Seine-Saint-
Denis (Ile-de-France), in reference to the
architectural partnership of Allied countries
that helped build it from the rubble.
Dr Caroux has written a book about
Merlan and is one of a small number
of historians to have studied the estate.
Her interest dates from being asked
to write an essay about it in 2008, when
Noisy-le-Sec chose to pay tribute to
Merlan as part of its Journées du
Patrimoine (heritage days).
“I wanted to give credit to a project that
went too much under the radar, consider-
ing it has great historical value in terms
of housing and reconstruction,” she said.
The rebuilding effort was already in most
architects’ minds during the war, but the
government used the opportunity to
modernise the industry by bringing in
new techniques, materials and ideas
through state-organised competitions.
Noisy-Le-Sec was singled out for experi-
mentation after suffering some of the
greatest devastation in the Ile de France
region from wartime bombing. The town
was declared a disaster area in August 1944
and the Ministry of Reconstruction and
Urban Planning concentrated its efforts on
two projects: apartment buildings near the
station and a neighbourhood of detached
homes in the Merlan area.
At the time, the state was looking for
construction models that would allow for
the rapid production of low-cost housing,
while also improving living standards.
It launched experimental building sites
where multiple manufacturing processes
could be tested, to be reproduced on a
national scale if successful.
On the Merlan estate, each house was
designed to be built using new techniques
and materials and from different plans.
The so-called Cité expérimentale de Merlan circa 1947
One of the modern fitted kitchens
Photo: Terra
‘Maison CIMAP’, the first house built in
Merlan, had a reinforced concrete frame.
The Canadian ‘Faircraft’, meanwhile, was
built in wood and aluminium, the English
houses ‘Unitroy’ and ‘Orlitt’ were built
with concrete slabs, and ‘Maison STUP’
with pre-stressed concrete.
Likewise, houses were insulated with a
range of different materials, from fibre-
glass and wool to hardboard. Thermal
and acoustic trials were conducted to test
performance – unconventional and rare
for the time.
Within metres of each other, Merlan
featured Swedish and Finnish vernacular
housing next to semi-detached British-
inspired homes.
Dr Caroux rejects suggestions the estate
shares similarities with Bournville, a model
village in south-west Birmingham founded
for employees at the nearby Cadbury’s
factory, or the Familistère de Guise
(Meuse), another well-planned philan-
thropic settlement for a workforce, built
in the mid-to-late 19th century.
It did mark a huge departure from trad-
itional French housing projects, and the
international influences would have been
eye-opening for the first residents.
Jean-Pierre Savoldi, owner with his wife
Suzanne of the ‘Guelain’ house since 1996,
said: “Having a house eight metres from
the street was a difference. Our house is
not as open as those in the United States,
but it was arranged in ways we had never
seen in the region around Paris.”
Merlan accommodated 224 people from
42 families by October 1, 1948, mostly
working for the state-owned SNCF, and
they enjoyed the latest furniture styles and
domestic appliances. Every house boasted
a fridge, fully equipped kitchen and bath-
room, and electric heaters.
Residents reported a convivial ‘village’
atmosphere in the 1950s, with children
playing in parks and neighbours helping
each other out, according to historical
connexionfrance.com Property 37
Property Watch
Department 39:
in
Jura
DEPARTMENTAL CAPITAL: Lons-le-Saunier
MAIN CITIES/towns: Dole, Saint-Claude,
Champagnole, Hauts de Bienne
Jura only became part of France in 1678 after years of war
between French kings and various Burgundy and Habsburg
rulers. It can still sometimes feel a little detached from the
rest of the country, being a department with a relatively
small population and lots of big mountains and forests.
Up in the high country, winters are bitterly cold, while down
in the valleys the temperature can be moderate to warm,
even in mid-winter.
The high country above 800 metres attracts winter sports
enthusiasts, especially cross-country skiers, and it is in these
regions that most of the second homes, which make up 10%
of the housing stock, are found.
House prices start relatively low, with small town houses
needing renovation on the market for between €30,000
and €35,000. Most have pocket-handkerchief gardens.
However, there are exceptions – for example, a three-
roomed house of 61m² with an attached 85m² barn and
600m² of land for €27,000.
For larger budgets and people who are prepared for heavy
renovations, country houses with around 1,000m² of land
and interesting features can be had for €50,000.
Photo: Terra
The department has two TGV stations, at Dole-Ville and
Mouchard, which puts Paris in reach in around two hours.
The A39 motorway runs along the western boundary of the
This ‘American’ house was department, which otherwise has national and departmental
Photo: G. Bréhinier / Département de la
built from a kit in two months roads as its main transport routes.
Dole also has an airport, used mainly for light aviation,
although Ryanair provides links to Morocco, Portugal and
London Stansted.
Properties around France
Seine-Saint-Denis
Under €100,000
documents. The estate even had its
own pageant.
The atmosphere and demographic
changed, however, when the state started
selling off parts.
Philippe Prénat, owner of ‘Maison City
Lumber 17’ since 2000, said: “Merlan
reminds me of Le Petit Jardin.”
He is referring to one of 1970s singer
Jacques Dutronc’s songs, which tells the
story of an idyllic plot of land transformed
into a concrete parking lot. This two-bed village house would A super three- to four-bed house.
The comparison is exaggerated, of course, make an ideal pied-à-terre in a An ideal holiday/permanent home,
but there is some truth in it. New building green setting. Low budget! or investment for airbnb/gites.
rules introduced in the late 1980s meant A perfect lock-up-and-leave, this 50m² Located in a very popular riverside
some owners were forced to replace original property is located in the heart of a town with local shops and facilities
small village, just five minutes from on your doorstep, Viewing
materials, including roofs and cladding. the village of Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare is recommended for this lovely
Other houses were demolished, reducing in Hérault. property in Vienne.
the number of original properties from 56 €54,000 Ref: A13788 €99,000 Ref: A15487
to 43, and extensions, including terraces
and additional floors, have also changed
the neighbourhood’s aspect.
Dr Caroux has no good explanation
More than €245,000
for why the estate is not better known by
Parisians or French people generally, even
though houses were designed, from the
beginning, for exhibition.
Until 1951, tenants agreed to let their
homes be visited to collect opinions on
urban planning. Visitors filled in a question-
naire of their observations afterwards.
The visits were organised two afternoons
a week, during which residents had to be
present and the property was expected to A charming maison de maître, A two-bed home in a stunning
be clean. One occupant recalled eating beautifully presented with a location that is popular in both
meals in the entrance hall so as not to large private garden and pond. summer and winter.
dirty the dining room. This lovely house has been tastefully Offering excellent value for money
These days, Mr Prénat keeps up the trad- renovated, retaining many original with potential to increase the habit-
ition in a small way by offering tours of his features which add to its charm. able space. Near many ski resorts
house for France’s Journées du Patrimoine. Located in a small village just 10km and just a five-minute drive from
from L’Aigle in Eure. Les Portes du Soleil.
The cité has benefited from a recent surge
in popularity after being listed among €245,030 Ref: A13993 €395,000 Ref: A12904
France’s Monuments Historiques in 2000, Properties available through Leggett Immobilier
which pushed prices up. frenchestateagents.com Tel: 05 53 56 62 54
These days, properties in Merlan sell for
around €5,000/m² – slightly higher than Next month: We look at Landes
the average in Noisy-le-Sec.
38 PRACTICAL: Property

LegalNotes Bell tower

connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023
The new tower has
a Celtic theme

Your questions
answered
collapse is a
chance to ring
Matthew Cameron, partner
with Ashtons Legal,
answers a
reader query.

How can I make my will easier for UK family?

Q: I live alone in France – my
family are all in the UK. I am
making a French will but what
else can I do to make it easy for
them, most of whom have only
limited French? Translate the
will? Find an English-speaking
notaire? Take out a funeral
insurance plan and arrange for
potential repatriation to the UK?
A: Regrettably, many people
do not give sufficient
thought to how their estates
are to be administered, so
this question is sensible.
Most inquiries we receive
about inheritance matters
concentrate on France’s
fixed inheritance rights, which
tend to prefer a person’s
children or surviving spouse,
or the implications of the
EU Succession Regulation
under which it is now poss-
ible to elect the law of one’s
nationality to the estate.
In the absence of a sur-
viving spouse or children,
however, those points might
not be of major importance.
The issue here is much
broader. When writing a will,
should we tell anyone else
apart from the lawyer
advising on the drafting,
Tel: +44 (0)113 393 1930  www.heslop-platt.co.uk
contact@heslop-platt.co.uk
and should plans be set up
now to ease the administra-
tion? It is generally wise to
tell executors or potential
beneficiaries about your will,
and where the original is
stored. If it is in French,
it is prudent to provide
a translation.
However, it might not be
so important to name a
notaire purely because they
speak English: that notaire
might have retired by the
time the will comes to be
proved. Also of importance
is understanding the tax
consequences.
Note that leaving anything
to unrelated friends in France
will attract inheritance tax
at 60%.
It might be possible to
shield some of your assets
against this, although that
may require careful planning
and investigation.
If you have specific wishes
in relation to your funeral,
including repatriation to the
UK, then you should investi-
gate these matters first.
As ever, seeking detailed
advice from solicitors with
cross-border estate expertise
might be beneficial.
the changes
DIY
Nick Inman
charts the ups
and downs of
renovating
an old
French
farmhouse
There are doorbells and then
there are door bells.
Normally, the device you use
to alert the owner of a house to
your presence from outside is
so discreet you do not notice it.
You certainly do not stop to
admire the handiwork involved
in an electric button, which
is designed to be as small and
unobtrusive as possible.
However, if you live in
the countryside, have the
space and do not have close
neighbours, why not make the
doorbell a conspicuous feature
that every visitor cannot help
but admire?
When my friends David
Bowden and Mo Duck bought
their house in the hills of
Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées), it
came with a remarkable door
bell: a church bell hanging
from a purpose-built tower and
connected to the street gate by
a rope, with a romantic sound
reminiscent of remote moun-
tain chapels.
“You could hear the ringing
from anywhere on our property,”
says David.
The structure around it,
however, left much to be
desired. It was made from chip-
board and MDF – a material
that swells and disintegrates
when exposed to wet weather –
and was covered in unattractive
roofing felt.
When this flimsy bell tower
blew down, David saw it as an
opportunity to replace it with
one that reflected the couple’s
skills and personalities.
He decided to reconstruct it
on the same model – but with
some important changes.
This time, the structure had
to be of solid wood. It is four
metres tall and top-heavy so it
had to be planted in a firm
foundation – a metre of concrete
– to resist the wind.
The original was undecorated.
David, a skilled carpenter
among many other things, has
a particular knack for creat-
ing ornate woodwork and he
decided the new tower would
have a Celtic theme. A graceful
vertical column of knotwork
climbs the square-sectioned
shaft of the tower, and this is
picked out in gold paint against
a green background.
There is also an endless knot
motif (representing eternity,
since it has no beginning or
end) on the gable of the roof.
At the top of the tower, above
the gantry on which hangs the
bell, David wanted to make a
“proper little house”.
The actual design of this is
fairly simple but the execution
is exquisite.
As a weatherproof covering,
roofing felt was out of the
question and standard off-the-
shelf builder’s tiles were going
to be too big and heavy for the
purpose, as well as being com-
pletely out of keeping with the
arts and crafts approach.
“Mo is a potter,” says David,
“and I thought: why don’t we
make miniature Kent peg tiles
to use on the bell tower?” There
are 90 of these tiles on each
side of the steeply pitched roof.
They are made of clay and fired
in Mo’s kiln.
Each has two little holes
so that the tiles can be fixed,
overlapping, to the roof, using
wooden pegs or nails.
As they are handmade, each
one has a slightly different col-
our and texture, adding to the
visual delight of the whole.
The finished structure is still
a doorbell, with the purpose
of summoning the occupants
to the gate, but it looks and
sounds as if it is straight out of
Rivendell, the domain of the
elves in The Lord of the Rings.
It is not just a doorbell: it
is also a work of art and a
demonstration of what any of
us could do (perhaps not quite
so well) given the patience, skill
and time.
n Next month:
Building a stage

Buyers can claim interest on house deposit

Q: What happens to the money
the notaire asks for before a
purchase? Is it protected, and
who gets the interest?
A: Among a notaire’s obliga-
tions is to give the seller the
most protected accounts in
France. Interest is usually
low but it goes to the buyer.
Comptes séquestres are
only covered to €100,000 if
the bank fails. If the notaire
goes bankrupt, the money
Couple warn of grant scheme ‘frustrations’
THE flagship grant programme for
energy-saving home renovation,
MaPrimeRénov, hit the headlines
when the official consumer watchdog
warned improvements were needed.
The Défenseur des Droits revealed in
October that it had received 500
Leif Vinter with one through without a problem – except that
of his new double- the manufacturer cannot find parts to
glazed windows make the pump. Consequently, the install-
ation date has been delayed. Payment from
the couple is due when it is installed but
they have been asked for a letter from their
bank to confirm the €11,500 is available.
Photo: Leif Vinter

agreed sales price once the can be claimed back from complaints about the scheme after less In a statement, the Défenseur des Droits
acte authentique is signed. liquidators. than two years of operation. Most con- said MaPrimeRénov was designed to help
They can take money from Interest on these accounts cerned the impossibility of communicating people with low incomes, yet it was these
a buyer and hold it in some- can go to the notaire or the with anyone at the programme, which was their grant had changed “due to a computer people who had the most difficulties deal-
thing similar to an escrow buyer, depending on the designed as an internet-only service. upgrade,” during which data had been lost. ing with internet-only platforms.
account (compte séquestre) contract. For higher value Connexion readers Lucy and Leif Vinter, They finally received a second, unsigned “Some people have gone ahead with
with their local bank. This properties and transactions who live near Cahors in Lot, share this email, with no contact details, rejecting renovations after receiving an accusé de
is usually the guarantee of where delays are anticipat- frustration. The couple lost out on grants their grant request for signing for the free réception giving them the go-ahead in 2020
5%-10% of the sales price ed, it is worth specifying you worth €1,280 for replacing single with installation before getting the estimate but are still waiting for their grants because
asked for at the promesse want the interest, even if it double glazing in eight windows. approved by MaPrimeRénov. the site does not allow them to upload
de vente. pushes up notaire fees. “We were told by the window firm that we “It is incredibly frustrating — what proof that the work has been done,” the
If a sale takes longer than The notaire must pass had to sign straightaway if we wanted free difference does it make if the paperwork statement said.
three months, the money is it on “within a reasonable installation,” Mr Vinter said. is submitted before or after?” asked Mr It added that some people have had to
transferred to the notaire’s time” after ensuring all legal “When we went to a specialist at the Vinter. “We spent a lot of time getting pric- take out bank loans due to the delays.
compte de dépôt obligatoire procedures and registra- regional council in Cahors, however, they es so we know what we have is very good The watchdog said it had alerted authorities
with the state body Caisse tions relating to the sale told us MaPrimeRénov will only pay out if quality for the money, but that counts for that the internet-only nature of MaPrime-
des dépôts et consigna- have been carried out – the estimate is approved before we sign. We nothing because a computer does not like Rénov has had the result that some people
tions. These are among the usually four to six months. were advised to contact MaPrime-Rénov the paperwork. I am sure if we could talk who qualified will not receive grants.
itself to check, but this proved near impossi- to someone it could be fixed.” The Agence Nationale de l’Habitat, which
Tel: 05 61 57 90 86  brightavocats.com ble despite having an active account.” The Vinters are also in the MaPrimeRénov is in charge of MaPrimeRénov, told Agence
“It is difficult to get any sense from them. system for a second grant to install a heat France-Presse that 1.25 million people had
contact@brightavocats.com I must have sent dozens of emails with pump costing €30,000, of which they will received grants and a survey showed 89%
If you have a legal query send it to news@connexionfrance.com absolutely no reply.” only have to pay €11,500 thanks to the of them were satisfied. However, it vowed
We select questions for answer every edition The couple received one automated email subsidies. This application is being handled to “reinforce our relations with users” in
saying the mandataire (agent) looking after by the installer, and seems to have gone light of the watchdog’s recommendations.
 The Connexion January 2023 connexionfrance.com Property 39

Family clubs together to turn a former

night spot into new home and business
In our series looking at The property is
Quirky homes in France
unusual properties, set by a lake
Nikky Field tells Gillian Abandoned nightclub
Harvey how a nightclub The property hunt started in 2020.
proved the perfect space “We weren’t sure what type of
for a multi-generational building we were looking for, but
knew it had to be spacious with
home and burgeoning good road links,” says Nikky.
brocante business Unexpectedly, they discovered the
perfect type of property to suit their
When Dave and Nikky Field first needs – nightclubs.
moved to France in 2013, they fulfilled “We looked at an old nightclub in
their dream of owning a vineyard. Charente one day in March 2020 and,
As former farmers, caring for 20,000 while it wasn’t quite right, we realised
vines was well within their comfort that this type of building could be a
zone and they spent eight happy years great space to display the kind of retro
producing wine in Gironde before items we hoped to sell,” says Nikky. The entire property was for sale at Above: The families

Photos: Dave and Nikky Field

deciding to do something different.
“We had been farmers a long time
and it takes its toll physically. It
seemed the right time for a change,”
explains Nikky, 54.
Having enjoyed buying and selling
everything from furniture to farmyard
equipment in the past, they decided
to open a brocante and invited their
daughter Hannah, 28, her husband
Grant, 33, and their son Logan, now
four, to join them from the UK.
“At the time, they had a mortgage
and a young baby, and were struggling
to find a work-life balance. Plus, they
had skills we knew would be invalu-
able for our new business – Hannah
is a photographer, and both are great
with IT,” says Nikky.
The plan was for Nikky and David
to purchase a property, with enough
room for Hannah and Grant to con-
vert part of it into a separate family
space. All four would buy into the
business and become equal partners.
In summer 2020, the pair discovered
Le Sunshine – a former club near the
banks of Lac de Bournazel, a 32-hectare
lake in Corrèze. The club was built in
the 1970s but had shut down five years
previously.
“The owners had literally closed the
doors and left everything in situ,” says
Nikky. “When we walked in, it was
pitch black. The estate agent flicked on
the lights and there were glitterballs
going round – the full works!”
As well as 300m² of useable space
where the nightclub had once been,
the property came with a 160m² living
area and terrace above, a 120m² garage
and half a hectare of land.
The building is set by a lake and
grassland owned by the commune,
with just four other properties around
it – one private residence, two cafes
and a campsite. This means there is
plenty of land in which to stroll and
play, with the advantage of not being
responsible for all the maintenance.
€220,000, plus costs.
After buying it in November 2020,
the families spent several months
seeking planning permission and
creating a habitable space for Hannah,
Grant and Logan.
Initially, Nikky and David moved
in and work began in January 2021.
The roof was replaced by profes-
sionals at a cost of €60,000, and the
remainder of the renovation was
done by them, including converting
the garage into a two-bed home for
Hannah, Grant and Logan. It cost the
couple €50,000.
The families then spent a further
€50,000 levelling the nightclub floor,
repairing, and decorating the brocante.
“For the most part, we have used
furniture to create zones but we have
one area that is round, which now has
a circus tent theme.
“The rest of the décor is a nod to the
building’s previous life.
“We have splashes of colour to repre-
launched their brocante
business last spring
Right: The club still had
disco balls hanging up
when they first viewed it
sent the lights of the former nightclub,
set off by black and white shadowing.
It works really well as a backdrop to
some of the colourful items we sell,”
says Nikky.
Nikky and David’s living quarters
remain untouched for the moment:
“We haven’t managed to get on to that
yet, so our space remains very 1970s –
right down to the carpeted walls.”
The brocante opened last Easter
and showcases a variety of items.
“We focus on vintage and retro
items from the 1960s to the 1990s,”
says Nikky.
“We have a lot of designer and
named items, as well as other period
pieces. There is something for every-
one: prices range from 50 cents to
€5,000.” As well as proving a great
place to run a brocante, with its easy
road access and open interior, Le
Sunshine is a proving a talking point
for locals and visitors alike.
“People remember the old club and
are fascinated to come in and see the
interior,” says Nikky.
“We have had interesting conversa-
tions with people who feel disorientat-
ed by the fact that it both is and isn’t
the building they remember.
“Then the stories start coming out.
So many people knew it, grew up with
it. We have had people aged from
20-something to 60-something telling
us how they used to dance here.
“Some even met the love of their life
on the nightclub dancefloor.”

Dome house is aligned to the sun’s movements

A FUTURISTIC-looking Eric Wasser built his own home Finding skilled craftspeople
dome, designed to follow the according to the principle to build the dome can take
movement of the sun through time, though. The Wassers’
the seasons, has saved 80% own home was mostly built
on heating bills in the dozen by himself, with help from his
or so houses built using the daughter, a mason. They used
principle. pine from woods within a
It is the brainchild of Eric 30km radius of the site.
Wasser, 65, a furniture maker Mr Wasser said workers are
who became fascinated by the often so proud of the buildings
geometry of the sun’s move- that they bring their families
ments as a young man. In to the site to have a look.
1992, he drew what became his “When you build something
Photo: Héliodome

héliodome, and he patented the like this, you are building for
Photo: Eric Wasser

idea in 2000, building models. the future, and everything

The inclination of the dome
varies according to the latitude
of the building – one built on
the equator would be vertical.
In 2003, after taking first prize
in the prestigious Concours
Lépine, France’s annual contest
to find the invention of the
year, he started to build real
houses using the principle.
The first comprised 200m²
of living space and was con-
structed on his own land.
He completed it in 2010.
“We have been living in it
for 10 years and the results far
exceed what I had hoped for,”
he said. “It is warm in winter
Héliodomes stay warm in winter and cool in summer because of their orientation
– we only use two or three
stères of wood and only have to
light the stove after three days
without sun.
“At the same time, it is cool in
summer, because the inclination
of the dome matched to the
movement of the sun means
the house is shaded during the
hottest months of the year.”
As well as the large glass
frontage, the house features
cement floors, which absorb
heat from the sun and release it
at night. The rest of the house
is built conventionally, except
that a lot of insulation is added
at the start, and corrugated
steel is used for exterior clad-
ding. The completed building
boasts three floors and stands
10 metres high.
Mr Wasser is confident that
his houses, and others using
orientation as a guiding prin-
ciple, offer a way for people to
consume less energy in future.
“It is nothing new,” he said.
“When you look at cities
built by the ancient Greeks,
the whole place is designed for
optimal heating and cooling by
the sun. It is only fairly recently
that people have been building
without any real thought to the
sun’s movement.”
He added that homes gen-
erally have not evolved with
lifestyle changes: “We used to
spend much more time outside
but now people tend to stay
indoors. Indoors, you need
light and heat, and that is what
my designs bring by using gifts
of nature.” Around a dozen
héliodomes have been built, at
a cost per m² roughly double
that of a simple concrete-block
bungalow.
Most are in Germany and
Switzerland as Mr Wasser, who
lives at Cosswiller in Bas-Rhin,
has contacts across the border.
“There are usually no
problems getting approval for
a héliodome,” he said. “What
often happens is that I send
the principles of my design to
the architect and work with
them to get planning approval.”
points to the completed
héliodomes being in good shape
for hundreds of years,” he said.
“They are incredibly low-
maintenance buildings.”
The domes do not have to
be as large as the one he built
for himself, and can even be
retro-fitted to buildings with
south-facing facades.
“People think they can just put
in a conservatory and it will be
fine,” he said. “But conservatories
on south-facing walls get baking
hot in summer, whereas if they
are built as an inclined dome,
they are shaded in summer and
hot in winter.”
 The Back Page connexionfrance.com The Connexion January 2023

Bordeaux growers demand money to uproot vines

As winemakers struggle Around nine per cent of Bordeaux vineyards may be lost
pensions coming to them of around
€700 a month, many planned to sell
with declining exports their vines and businesses to help
and increased red tape, them in retirement, but find there
are no buyers.
Brian McCulloch hears how Worse, some who rented out vines
some are looking to cut when they retired have found that the
renters are not renewing contracts,
their losses altogether which means they have to go back to
work themselves to keep the vines in
CRISIS-HIT Bordeaux winemakers are good condition.
waiting on a government decision to let Prices of vineyards vary greatly,
them uproot 9% of vines in the region. depending on the quality of the wine

Photo: UfaBizPhoto_Shutterstock
Photo: FreeProd33_Shutterstock
To demonstrate the urgency of the produced, the methods used to sell it,
situation, the industry staged a protest and the state of equipment included
in the city centre in December, with in the sale.
several hundred attending. In the Entre-deux-Mers region
It was the first protest by winemakers The most famous domaines between the Dordogne and Garonne
since 2004, when the global economic have largely escaped the crisis rivers, where there are many small
crisis after the burst dot-com bubble producers, specialist agencies say the
had a knock-on effect on business. electricity generation – one of France’s millions for domaines. The region has on French wine imposed by Donald usual asking price is around €15,000 a
Christophe Chateau, spokesman largest photovoltaic electricity pro- seen that select group detach itself Trump, which have still not been hectare, with €18,000 being asked for
for the Bordeaux wine trade council duction sites is north of Bordeaux. from the collection of less well-known completely lifted. Brexit has made exceptional properties. Most buyers,
CIVB, told The Connexion: “We The protest was called by a wine- vineyards trailing behind, leaving exports to the UK complicated. however, make offers of around
have laid out all our arguments to growers union, but the CIVB support- some in difficulty. Hail and late frosts have also affected €10,000 a hectare.
the government over a year, without ed it and sent an official delegation. There is no single reason for the some winemakers. The government’s rural estate agency,
anything happening, which is why They want to see a €10,000 subsidy current problems. Other domaines with lower quality the Sociétés d’aménagement foncier
the protest went ahead. per hectare to uproot vines, which Some businesses had built and vines have been hit by the slow decline et d’établissement rural (Safer), has
“European Union Common Agri- will include the physical work, costing expanded on the back of the Chinese in wine-drinking in France. French “several hundred” Bordeaux vineyards
cultural Policy rules since 2008 have around €2,000 a hectare, and recon- market, where good quality wines people consumed an average 42 litres on its books, but admits that prices
banned subsidies to tear up vineyards, version costs. from Bordeaux’s small producers of wine in 2021, down from 54 litres being offered are sometimes not
but there are ways the government can Around 9,000 of the 100,000 hectares were very popular. in 2003, according to Statista. At the acceptable to sellers.
meet our demands using regional aid in the Bordeaux regulated region They have been hard hit by the same time, they have moved towards Its website, propriétés-rurales.com,
development programmes or environ- might be affected. collapse in exports due to China’s higher quality wines. was listing 19 vineyards in mid-
mental conversion grants.” The crisis has not affected the top economic difficulties and tough Another reason why plans to uproot December, with prices ranging from
Traditionally, the area has also been Bordeaux chateaux, which sell bottles anti-Covid measures. vines have gained traction is to do €180,000 for 18 hectares in Entre-
known for cattle and sheep farming, of wine for prices that can reach Meanwhile, attempts to expand into with the demographic of vineyard deux-Mers through to €5.8million
but there is interest in former vine- thousands of euros, and where rich other markets, such as the US and owners. Half of those in the Bordeaux for 62 hectares at Lussac in the
yards being used for solar panel investors continue to pay tens of Britain, have been hampered by taxes region are over 50 years old. With low Saint-Emilion region.

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