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On the Agenda: What’s happening in France this week

From crunch time in pay negotiations for railway workers to seasonal festivals and the small matter of a football match, here's what is happening in France this week.

Published: 5 December 2022 08:42 CET

On the Agenda: What's happening in France this week

Photo by JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN / AFP

Monday

Train disruption – there was major disruption over the weekend as train conductors and ticket inspectors walked out, leading to around half of all TGV services being cancelled. The strike ended on Sunday night, but there is expected to be significant knock-on disruption on Monday.

Tuesday

St Nicolas Day – this festival is a huge deal in Germany, but it’s also celebrated in the historic Alsace region of France. The festival involves parades in some towns, gifts for well-behaved children (and a visit from a scary figure with a whip for bad kids) and lots of gingerbread.

What you need to know about St Nicolas Day in France

Wednesday

Rail strike – unions have issued a provisional strike notice for Wednesday, ahead of a crunch day of talks on Thursday in the ongoing pay negotiations for SNCF workers.

Thursday

Railway pay negotiations – the key meeting between bosses and unions representing French rail workers. Depending on how these talks go, there could be further strike action over the Christmas and New Year weekends.

Fête des lumières – the Lyon festival of lights begins on Thursday and runs until Sunday. The festival is the biggest and most famous of the many light festivals that take place in France through December.

What you need to know about the Lyon festival of lights

Friday

Right to die – launch of the citizen convention looking at France’s right to die laws. This is the beginning of a public consultation looking at the question of whether France should relax its laws on assisted suicide. It comes after the national Ethics Committee for Health and Life Sciences issued a positive response on the question of assisted suicide.

Saturday

France v England – France take on England in the quarter finals of the men’s football World Cup in Qatar.

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What changes in France in May 2024

Public Holidays

There are several public holidays in the month of May – this year, all four of them fall on weekdays, meaning workers can benefit from plenty of time off.

The first is International Worker’s Day, or May Day, which is on Wednesday, May 1st. Expect trade union demonstrations and marches and the giving of the lucky lily-of-the-valley flowers.

The other public holidays are Wednesday, May 8th (Victory in Europe Day), Thursday, May 9th (Ascension), and Monday, May 20th (Whit Monday, or lundi de Pentecôte) – although Pentecost is for some workers only.

May 8th often involves military parades and remembrance events in towns and cities around France. This year will mark the 79th anniversary of the end of the war.

Elections deadline

If you are eligible to vote in the European elections, you should verify you are properly registered. May 1st is the deadline for online registrations, while May 3rd is the deadline for those sent by the post.

READ MORE: How to register in France to vote in the 2024 European elections

The elections themselves are in June.

Tax Deadlines

May also brings the first deadlines for the annual tax declaration – compulsory for almost everyone in France.

If you are unable to file the declaration online, you can use a paper declaration. This must be mailed by May 20th.

For the online declarations, you have until May 23rd (at 11.59pm) if you live in the départements 1 to 19, and until May 30th for the départements from 20 to 54. For the remaining départements, you have until June 6th at midnight.

READ MORE: The bumper French tax guide for 2024

Anniversaries

There are several anniversaries this May 2024 – from May 4th (the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Paris Olympic Games) to May 30th (the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Channel Tunnel).

Increased medical costs

In January, the French government announced plans to double two healthcare expenses, the franchise médicale and the participation forfaitaire. The franchise médicale was already increased at the start of April, but the participation forfaitaire will increase from a flat rate of €1 to between €2-3 starting on May 15th.

These are the small healthcare costs for things like prescriptions, appointments and travel to and from healthcare visits that are not reimbursed by the state.

READ MORE: Why medical costs are rising in France in 2024

Olympics events

The Olympic torch has already started its journey from Greece, and will arrive in Marseille on May 8th before beginning its relay around France. You can see the route here.

For Paris residents, if you live within the area closest to the Seine river, close to where the Opening Ceremony will be hosted, then you will need to register with a QR code for security purposes. The platform to do so will open on May 10th.

READ MORE: Which areas will be closed in Paris during the Olympics?

Assisted dying legislation

French President Emmanuel Macron announced in March that a bill on assisted dying will be presented to parliament before the summer.

Parliament is set to start examining it on May 27th. It follows a lengthy consultation via a citizens’ council of 184 French citizens, who came up with a series of measures to legalise “active assistance to dying”.

European night of Museums

On Saturday, May 18th many museums will keep their doors open – for free – all night long as part of the “European night of museums”. This year will mark the 20th edition of the event since its launch in 2005. Several Paris museums take part, outside of Paris you can find more information on the website for your local town hall. For Paris, more information here.

The Cannes Film Festival

The 77th edition of the Cannes film festival will take place from May 14th to 25th at the Palais des festivals et des congrès in Cannes.

Eurovision

You can watch France compete in the Eurovision song contest in Sweden this year. The semi-finals are set for May 7th and May 9th (although France goes straight through to the finals every year as one of the ‘big five’ who fund the contest). The final is on Saturday, May 11th. France will be represented by the artist Slimane.

READ MORE: 5 things to know about France’s 2024 Eurovision song

Sports

The final of the Coupe de France football tournament is on May 25th, with the time and location TBD.

The French Open (Roland-Garros) tennis tournament will also take place in May – starting on Sunday, May 26th and going until June 9th.

Mother’s Day and Neighbour’s Day

There are a couple of important days you won’t want to miss this May.

Mother’s Day in France will fall on May 26th, though if your mother is in the UK you may have already missed it (it was on March 10th). For Americans, Mother’s Day always falls on the second Sunday of May – so be sure to mark May 12th in your calendar.

Then there is also Neighbour’s Day, or the Fête des Voisins, which is the perfect opportunity to say hello to your neighbours. This year it will take place on May 31st.

READ MORE: Fête des Voisins: All you need to know about ‘neighbours day’ in France

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