Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local’s Emma Pearson, Genevieve Mansfield and John Lichfield to discuss the latest news in France.

This week, we start off with a referendum that has grabbed international headlines – the tripling of parking fees for SUVs in Paris. The topic might be controversial to global audiences, but very few people in France’s capital actually turned out to vote. We turn to politics expert John Lichfield to help understand the low voter turn-out.

We are sad to report that there will likely be more travel misery on the horizon for Eurostar passengers, plus why some people are turning to planes instead of trains. 

You can find the Talking France podcast on Spotify, Apple or Google podcasts, download it here or listen on the link below

French waiters often get a bad reputation – some think they are grumpy while others love to complain that they take too long to bring out the food or the bill. The Local’s team discusses whether there is any truth to these stereotypes, and why French servers in Paris are going to pick up the pace come March.

And after many emails from concerned readers, we take another look at France’s new language test requirements for residency cards and citizenship. This time, we answer some of the most commonly asked questions on the issue.

Finally, the French may be stereotyped as romantic, but do they actually care about Valentine’s Day? We explore how the French celebrate ‘La Saint Valentin‘.

Talking France is a free podcast that is made possible thanks to subscribers to The Local – and this month we have a special offer for podcast listeners, giving them the first month of membership for just €1. More details here.

Further reading:

• Paris votes in favour of €18-per-hour parking fees for SUVs
• Your questions answered about the new French language tests for foreigners
• All you need to know about the new French language requirements
• EES: Eurostar could limit services over new biometric passport checks
• French waiters to race through Paris streets as historic contest returns
• How do the French really feel about Valentine’s Day?