More strikes – The eight main unions in France have called for a sixth day of strike action in protest at the government’s pension reforms for March 7th. Several unions, including Paris public transport workers and refuse collectors, have declared a ‘renewable’ strike, so action will continue after March 7th.

Other unions are so far sticking to a one-day action, but it’s highly likely that other strikes will be announced for later in the month. Keep an eye on all the latest with our Pension strike calendar. 

Fuel aid and price cap – The deadline for motorists who need their car for work to apply for the government’s one-off €100 fuel allowance has been extended to the end of March, after only five million of the estimated 10million eligible car users applied.

READ ALSO How to claim the €100 fuel aid for motorists in France

Also from March 1st, 2023, TotalEnergie will cap prices at its service stations in France to a maximum of €1.99 for Diesel Premier B7, Diesel Premier B10, SP95-E10, SP95-E5 and Superethanol E85 until the end of the year.

Water restrictions – five départements are already on water restrictions, but more are likely to follow in March after the environment minister held a crisis meeting with local authorities to address the issue of the lack of rain and fears of a summer drought.

Red March? – The end of February marks the end of negotiations between French supermarkets and food producers, which is likely to lead to an increase in prices for groceries. Some are predicting a ‘mars rouge‘ (red March) of soaring prices fr everyday items, although finance minister Bruno Le Maire says: “there will not be a red March”.

Flu jabs – The vaccination campaign against seasonal flu has been extended to March 31st for the second year in a row, because the virus is still ‘active’ in France, officials have said. Eligible people can receive the anti-Covid vaccine and the flu vaccine (one injection in each arm) at the same time.

School holidays – Schoolchildren living in Zone C, which includes Paris, Créteil, Versailles, Montpellier and Toulouse go back to school on Monday, March 6th. Those living elsewhere in the country have already returned to class. The kids now have to wait until April for the Easter holidays, which are also staggered across the three school holiday zones.

Cigarette prices – Cigarette prices will rise to more than €11 for certain brands, including Marlborough and Winston which will now retail at €11.50 for a pack of 20.

Changing times – The clocks go forward by one hour on March 26th – even though the EU had a plan to end this practice back in 2019.

READ ALSO Whatever happened to the EU plan to ditch the changing of the clocks?

Big visit – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to visit France on March 10th for the first British-French summit in more than four years.

Cold calls – Good news for everyone who receives several cold calls a day. New rules come into force on March 1st, limiting the hours in which canvassing calls can be made (no calls at weekends, lunchtime, or after 8pm), and on the number of times businesses can call. Basically, if they call, tell them you don’t want to be canvassed, and they will have to wait two months before trying again. Let’s see if this works better than Bloctel.

READ ALSO Telephone canvassing in France to be banned on weekends and public holidays

Navigo – Are you eligible for a refund? Ile-de-France residents who held a Navigo pass for public transport between September and December 2022 may be eligible for a refund of at least €37.60 in compensation for travel disruption in recent months. Some RER B and D passengers will be entitled to a larger refund. The process of applying for the refund opens on March 14th at the Ile-de-France Mobilities website.

Heat pumps – The Coup de Pouce Chauffage scheme grant for replacing a coal, oil or gas boiler with a geothermal heat pump will rise to €5,000 for everyone in March up from €2,500, or €4,000 for low-income households. 

Winter truce – The trève hivernale – annual ‘winter truce’ during which landlords cannot evict defaulting tenants and utility companies cannot disconnect them – comes to an end on March 31st.