This French Life

French electricity prices set to increase by 3%

ELECTRICITY prices in France are set to increase by around three per cent in early 2011, finance minister, Christine Lagarde, said. The increase is designed to help support EDF as it buys back solar generated electricity at above market rates to help promote its use. Read more →

French Senate passes pension bill

President Sarkozy hopes the pension bill's passage through the Senate marks the beginning of the end of the crisis. What happens next is that first thing on Monday, a joint committee of Senate and National Assembly members will meet to agree on a common text. This final version will then... Read more →

French workers vow to step up pension protests

French workers will step up their protests against pension reforms next week, a top trade union leader says. Bernard Thibault, head of the CGT workers' confederation, made the statement as union leaders prepared to discuss plans to hold a seventh day of national protests across France. via www.bbc.co.uk Read more →

French strikers intend to keep going for seventh day

French workers are set to continue their protests against planned pension reforms as a rolling strike enters its seventh day. Transport workers say they will continue their protest on Wednesday but more trains are forecast to run. via www.bbc.co.uk Read more →

EU to drop legal threat against France over Roma expulsions

European Union justice chief Viviane Reding will withdraw Tuesday a legal threat against France over its expulsions of Roma migrants but her probe into discrimination remains open, an EU official said. Reding found that France had given "sufficient" assurances that it would modify its national legislation in order to better... Read more →

Number of smokers in France increases

DESPITE numerous campaigns, including hard-hitting imagery, and increasing the taxes on tobacco, the number of people who smoke in France has risen. Statistics from the Institut National de Prévention et d'Education pour la Santé show that 28.7 per cent of the population smoke, with much of the increase being amongst... Read more →

Truck drivers join French pension protests

French truck drivers are the latest group of workers to join the strike movement against government plans to reform the state pension system. They have staged several overnight protests, including a go-slow on motorways near Lille and Paris. via www.bbc.co.uk Read more →

Fuel supply to Paris airports cut amid pension strikes

Fuel supplies to Paris' main airports through a major pipeline have been cut off amid strikes over pension reforms. The company that operates the pipeline told French media that the capital's main airport, Charles de Gaulle, could run out of fuel as early as next week. via www.bbc.co.uk Read more →

French police reopen three storage depots as fuel shortage looms

French police on Friday moved in to reopen three fuel storage depots blocked by striking workers, but strikers threw up new pickets at other distribution centres across the country. The police action came a day after the government tried to calm fears of fuel shortages amid reports of panic buying... Read more →

French fuel firms seek emergency supplies amid strikes

France's petrol distributors have urged the government to release emergency fuel stocks following strikes that have blocked most French oil refineries. The firms warn that only 10 days' fuel is left. They also want protesters blocking fuel depots to be removed. via www.bbc.co.uk Read more →