France in the News: 5 Stories
France is in the news. Get up to speed with these 5 interesting stories of recent developments in l’Hexagone (French nickname for their country, shaped like a 5-sided hexagon!)
Snowfall in Paris
Right about the time Americans were celebrating Thanksgiving, Parisians woke up to a blanket of white. They weren’t shoveling, since it was only an inch and a half. Though there
have been flurries here and there since that time, this was the most snow in Paris since 1968! Other areas of north and central France got 3 to 6 inches, whereas the Alps received 12 inches.
ETIAS Rolling Out in 2025
By the spring of 2025, you should hear more about ETIAS. What is it? You need to know if you plan to travel anywhere in Europe in 2025. ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System. In summary, this is a new requirement to register with a government website prior to traveling to France. Currently, it is not yet in operation but is expected to roll out in the second quarter of 2025.
What is it for? It is not a visa and does not replace one if it’s needed. Non-European travelers will have to register by website, pay 7€ (close to $7), and supply some information about themselves. The purpose of this registration is to keep track of foreign visitors, thereby getting better intel regarding traffickers, terrorists, and others up to no good. The registration is valid for 3 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
Who is it for? Any non-EU national who doesn’t normally need a visa for a short-stay (3-month) visit to the country. This is not for any non-European who has a residence permit to live in the country.
A similar intervention is called the EES (entry-exit system) which tracks the crossing of European borders (like in the old days of passport stamps!) This program works hand-in-hand with ETIAS to track certain individuals with a goal of keeping everyone safer. This is also not yet in effect but will begin simultaneously with ETIAS.
Here are several official websites where you can learn more:
https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en
https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en
https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/what-ees_en
Register before buying your plane tickets or booking your hotels. Usually, the applications are processed within minutes, but on rare occasions can take up to 30 days. Travelers over 70 years of age are exempt.
Prime Minister Barnier Receives No-Confidence Vote
French Prime Minister Michael Barnier, appointed only last September, might be finished already after pushing an unpopular social security budget bill through parliament without a vote. (Note: Social Security isn’t like U.S. Social Security, but pertains to the entire system of socialized medicine and other government benefits funded by taxation…my simplified definition!) Two of three equal numbers in Parliament voted him down. Barnier claims his tax hikes and reduction in spending are an effort to reduce France’s deficit, which is famously large.
The result of this? France entering 2025 without a budget or else trailing the 2024 budget into the New Year until a new plan is found and implemented. If you’d like to learn more, here’s a link to check from a French news source. www.france24.com/en/france/20241202-why-the-french-government-is-headed-for-collapse
Notre Dame Reopens
On a happier note, the famed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is due to reopen this Saturday, December 7. President-elect Donald Trump and 50 other heads of state and governments will also attend. It is President-Elect Trump’s first international trip since his election in November.
An accidental fire in 2019 destroyed parts of the historic church, which has undergone repairs and renovation ever since. It was due to reopen in time for the Summer Olympics in July 2024 but didn’t make that deadline. See this blogpost for more details on the renovation of Notre Dame de Paris.
The reopening will be a grand celebration lasting several days. Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will preside at a special service of reopening. Alongside, French television stations will celebrate with special programming as well as cover the event.
Relevant for Travelers to Paris
The last bit of news covers new laws to affect Air BnBs in Paris. Presently, there are over 95 thousand Air BnB listings in Paris. For many travelers, it’s their go-to lodging. Almost 90% are entire properties, instead of only a room rental. Corporations buy many units and rent them as Air Bnbs, which affects the availability of affordable housing, or even any housing in some cases, for families and individual residents.
Twenty percent of rented apartments don’t have licenses, so they are illegal. These are the ones the Paris government targets. Fines will begin for unlicensed properties in January 2025.
How will this affect travelers? There may be a decrease in Air Bnb availability. A bigger impact is a move to limit the number of rental days to 90 instead of 120, as is currently the case in London. Still, 90 days is 3 months, so that might not affect short-term travel too much.
If you’re curious about other housing options in France, have a look at 2 Oliver’s France posts on the subject:
Staying Overnight in France, which offers different options.
Happy Holidays and Happy Trip Planning for 2025!
To that end, I suggest Planning and Making Memories: A Travel Journal
This handy planning and journaling booklet is easy to carry and will give you all the info you need at your fingertips while you travel!
And Real French for Travelers, the BOOK and the Online Course.
Your experience traveling in France will be so much richer if you have the basics of Travel French. Oliver’s France offers a complete course, a basics course, or a course if you’ve had the basics (essentially, the complete course split in half!) The Real French for Travelers book is handy for learning the basics,reviewing the concepts and relevant travel vocabulary, and
learning from realistic travel dialogues. It’s also great to take along as a reference after doing the online course.
Also, check out Oliver’s France Store, where you can get an extended Black Friday 25% discount off all books and eBooks until December 19. Use Code: BLACK24
The same is true for the complete online travel French course, Real French for Travelers.
Code: BLACK24 until December 19. You can gift this course to someone else too!
