SHARE
COPY LINK

WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

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

From scooter votes to playing pranks, via another day of mass-strikes, here's what is happening in France this week.

On the Agenda: What's happening in France this week?
Fish take on a special significance in France this week. Photo by JEAN-PIERRE MULLER / AFP

Monday 

PM meets the president – Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will meet Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée today. The unscheduled meeting – the pair normally lunch together on Wednesdays – has prompted much speculation about her future.

CGT congress – the hardline CGT union begins its annual conference in Clermont-Ferrand. The union’s leader, the charismatic and recognisable Philippe Martinez, is due to retire and the congress will be electing his successor. The CGT is the country’s second largest union federation, after the moderate CFDT.

Ireland-France – the men’s football team travel to Ireland for their second qualifying match for the Euros after beating the Netherlands at the weekend.

Tuesday 

Strikes – unions have called a 10th day of mass-strikes and demos in the ongoing battle against pension reform. AS ever, detailed provisions will be released 24 hours in advance, but public services including trains, planes and city public transport are expected to be disrupted. There will also be large protest marches in towns and cities across France.

Find the latest in our strike section HERE.

Thursday

Insee immigration data – the French national statistics body Insee will publish that latest round of data on immigrants and the descendants of immigrants living in France.

Friday

End of the trève hivernale – the ‘winter truce’ during which landlords cannot evict tenants who are in arrears, comes to an end on the final day of March.

Saturday

April 1st – the first day of April in France is the traditional day for jokes and pranks, known as poissons d’avril (April fish).

Sunday

Paris scooter referendum – inhabitants of Paris (or at least those on the electoral roll for the municipal elections, which does not include non-EU citizens living in the city) will be invited to vote on whether to ban dockless electric scooters. The ride-hire scooters (trottinettes) have been the subject of much tighter regulation in recent years, but the citizens will get the final say on whether they should continue to be allowed. Privately-owned scooters are not affected.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

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

From the anniversary of the Paris Notre-Dame fire to a flash sale for Olympics tickets and an announcement about budget cuts, here's what is happening in France this week.

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

Monday

Fifth anniversary of Notre-Dame fire – There will be a short religious service – a Te Deum – on Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of the fire. The cathedral is on track to reopen in December 2024.

Start of technical inspections for two-wheelers – After having been postponed several times over the course of nine years, the contrôle technique (roadworthiness test) for motorised motorbikes, tricycles and quadricycles, will be phased in starting on April 15th. 

READ MORE: Contrôle technique: What we know about the new French safety checks for motorbikes

Summer camp pass – France will launch a new subsidy aimed at helping middle and low income households to send their 11-year-olds to holiday clubs over the summer, with hopes of reducing time spent on screens. It will be called the ‘pass colo‘, and eligible families will be able request it by going to jeunes.gouv.fr starting on April 15th.

Spring festival – The town of Arnage (in the Sarthe département, near Le Mans) will host its spring festival from Monday, April 15th to Friday April 19th. On Saturday, there will be a ‘flower and flavour’ market from 10am to 5pm to mark the end of the festival. More info here.

Wednesday

Flash sale for 250,000 Olympics tickets – The next tranche of Olympics tickets will be on sale on Wednesday, April 17th, marking 100 days before the opening ceremony. The tickets will go on sale at 10am (Paris-time). They can be bought from anywhere in the world on the official Olympics website (paris2024.org). You will need an account to purchase tickets. More info here.

Announcement of budget cuts – In response to France’s budget deficit reaching €154 billion, or 5.5 percent of GDP, the country’s finance minister Bruno Le Maire will present a package of budget cuts to ministers on Wednesday, entitled the programme de stabilité (PSTAB). 

READ MORE: How France’s bid to tackle ‘wild’ budget deficit could impact you

Thursday

Paris Metro – Amid several line closures due to works, including line 11 from Belleville to Mairie des Lilas, some stations will begin gradually reopening as the summer approaches following. Gare d’Austerlitz will reopen for passengers starting on Thursday. You can download either the IDF Mobilités or the Bonjour RATP apps to see closures in real-time.

Saturday

School holidays – Zone B, which includes Aix-Marseille, Nice, and Strasbourg, has its spring holidays from April 20th until May 6th. 

Paris transport – The commuter train, the RER B, will be closed between Aulnay-sous-Bois and Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2-TGV during the weekend of April 20th to 21st. As such, travellers should plan alternative routes to get to the airport – you may consider taking the Roissy Bus or a taxi between Paris and the airport.

READ MORE: What you need to know about taking a taxi in Paris

SHOW COMMENTS