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FRANCE

€30,000 charge for car parked for 3 years

A French driver who left his car in a car lot in Luxembourg faces a €30,000 bill if he wants to get his car back.

Published: 16 December 2011 12:24 CET
€30,000 charge for car parked for 3 years
Photo: Kristina D.C. Hoeppner

The owner of Capucins theatre car park in Luxembourg says a car registered in France has not been moved for the past three years, Luxembourg daily L’Essential reports.   

The daily rate in the parking lot is €26.90, which means the driver would have to pay €30,000 if he wants his car back.

The owner of the parking lot however says he would agree to let the forgetful driver pay the yearly subscription rate of €3,000. “But even then, I don’t think the driver will fetch his car. His parking ticket is worth more than his car,” the owner told L’Essential.

The owner says he has tried to find the driver, but admits he lives in France and cannot be identified. He also says the driver has not broken any laws and his vehicle will stay parked at a daily rate of €26.90.

POLITICS

France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

France has vowed to prevent a trade deal between the European Union and the South American Mercosur bloc from being signed with its current terms, as the country is rocked by farmer protests.

Published: 31 January 2024 15:46 CET
France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

The trade deal, which would include agricultural powers Argentina and Brazil, is among a litany of complaints by farmers in France and elsewhere in Europe who have been blocking roads to demand better conditions for their sector.

They fear it would further depress their produce prices amid increased competition from exporting nations that are not bound by strict and costly EU environmental laws.

READ ALSO Should I cancel my trip to France because of farmers’ protests?

“This Mercosur deal, as it stands, is not good for our farmers. It cannot be signed as is, it won’t be signed as is,” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told broadcasters CNews and Europe 1.

The European Commission acknowledged on Tuesday that the conditions to conclude the deal with Mercosur, which also includes Paraguay and Uruguay, “are not quite there yet”.

The talks, however, are continuing, the commission said.

READ ALSO 5 minutes to understand French farmer protests

President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that France opposes the deal because it “doesn’t make Mercosur farmers and companies abide by the same rules as ours”.

The EU and the South American nations have been negotiating since 2000.

The contours of a deal were agreed in 2019, but a final version still needs to be ratified.

The accord aims to cut import tariffs on – mostly European – industrial and pharmaceutical goods, and on agricultural products.

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