A new French map

 

It's 2016 and France now has 13 regions – down from 22 – thanks to a major rework of the regional map.

 

The new map, pictured below, saw some regions like Brittany unchanged, but the fusion of two or even three regions in some other cases. The move is an effort to streamline regional councils and to run the country more efficiently.

 

The names of the new regions remain unannounced, and for the moment are just a combination of the names of the previous regions. 

 

If you want to see an interactive map detailing the changes, head over to this page on the official government website, or click here to read more about the new regions and their capitals. 

 

Paris gets bigger

 

January 1st sees the official launch of Grand Paris, or “La Métropole du Grand Paris” to give it its full name.

 

Essentially, the project means that the large Parisian suburbs of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne – as well as a handful of smaller communes – will now become much closer integrated with the capital in the aim of inter-communal cooperation. 

 

Grand Paris will see over 200 councillors working together on everything from environmental issues to economic development. 

 

Increase in minimum wage

 

Those on minimum wage in France can expect an ever-so-slightly fatter wallet – with a six-euro increase per month. The minimum hourly wage is now €9.67 an hour, or €1,466.62 a month. 

 

Tampon tax drops

 

The tax on women's sanitary products has dropped from 20 percent to just 5.5 percent. This has been a hot topic in France, seeing protests from women's groups around the country who argued that tampons should be taxed like condoms, or food. 

 

The government initially opposed changing the rate, saying it would reduce tax receipts in 2016 by €55 million. 

 

Drop in gas prices

 

For the fourth consecutive month, France's gas prices have fallen, this time by an average of 2 percent. The prices have dropped by an average of over 10 percent since January last year.

 

Doggy bags introduced

 

Restaurants now officially need to provide doggy bags for customers who want to take their meal home. The law applies to any restaurant that serves over 180 meals per day.

 

It's a move by the government to cut down on the 7 million tonnes of food wasted in France each year – but it remains to be seen if the French will adopt this typically American custom. 

 

Get paid to cycle to work

 

Those who cycle to work are now eligible for a little extra pocket money, with a new plan rolled out to pay cyclists 25 cents for every kilometre they cycle between their home and their office. Payment is capped at €200 a year. There's more information here (in French)

 

Pay less taxes