Connexion Back Issues

‘Healthcare reversal to include E106’ - All early retirees can now access state healthcare, claims British Embassy Paris * No official French confirmation as yet * Shopping around for a loan to become easier * Creuse is safest place to live in France – official * The Louvre franchises to the desert * Permanent sales may boost retail spending * English-language news channel to close this year * Nobel economists asked to measure growth in terms of quality of life * Shake-up to French work laws underway * Full-time, fixed-term and temporary contracts * This little French car runs on air, costs just e3,700, and is quietly taking over the world * Democrats Abroad offer global primary voting * Many health authorities still unaware of changes despite December circular - how do the changes affect you? - CPAM lottery - it all depends where you live * Adopt a truffle tree in Le Gers * France to ban use of GM maize * ‘Axe departments, deregulate notaires and work past age of 65’ * ‘Expats can boost morale’ * Helping new businesses and creating security among ‘fundamental decisions’ * Asterix’s co-creator Uderzo talks about his life and work * Understanding different marriage régimes * Know your rights in the winter sales * Water damage insurance * Insulating your house * Be prepared to tackle snow and ice on mountain roads * Compensation for delayed trains * French are the world’s biggest users of homeopathic treatments * Self-service for hundreds of pharmacy medicines * Shortfall after our E106 expires * Making sure children get the most from a property when they inherit * Claim back tax paid on UK savings interest * Transferring UK pensions credits * Is an NHS pension tax-free in France? * Postal rates keep changing * Deadlines for tax credits * How do I register my firm for VAT? * Charges for B&B business * Where can I find vegetarian food? * AARO: Speaking up for all Americans abroad * Some of the major issues facing Americans living overseas * British telephone support charity expands into France * I just can’t resist restoring chateaux * Good for your pocket and green ethics - solar panels are taking off * Should I rent out my flat furnished or unfurnished? * Number of home loans is going up in France * Crédit Foncier reviews its policy on French-only loan * Gas increase of 4% is not enough, says GDF * House prices ‘stabilising’ * Help with ‘diagnostics’ * Court case challenges accuracy of breath tests

Official confirmation: Healthcare ban will NOT be retrospective - Fight for E106-holders continues * France’s 97 ideas to make life easier * Gas prices will rise but not by 6% * Amazon.fr banned from offering free book deliveries * Building of new high-speed LGV rail lines steams ahead * Web pirates targeted in national crackdown * New laws to rein in dangerous dogs and punish owners * Court victory for 25-stone flyer * Surrogate twins’parents are legal * New business chamber for sunny south’s 10,000 Swedes * Mr Charles Napoleon wants his great grandfather’s bones to stay in England * Last war soldiers refuse state funeral * Fallen heroes to be remembered at Battle of the Marne commemoration * Gendarmerie set for reform * Plan to shut hundreds of courts sparks strike * Digging for truffles in the Var * 2007 review * Rural charm and business success - homeworkers find it all in the Gers * How to shut down a business * My towing licence has an expiry date * Seeking redress for medical mistakes * Keeping a French car, living in UK * I am being billed for taxe de séjour * I have 4,000 model soldiers to display * Inheritance laws: Providing for your loved ones * Cash reward if you buy green car, penalty for a gas-guzzler * €1 more to see doctor * French ‘MOT’ gets tougher - and will cost you more * Full smoking ban as bars and cafes must follow too * Minimum service on public transport is guaranteed * Can you claim France’s €150 winter fuel allowance? * Navigating the healthcare E-maze * Can we choose where our UK government pensions are taxed? * EU directive gives new rights and responsibilities to securities investors * American Connexion * Guided missiles and misguided men * Breathing a ‘smoke free’ sigh of relief * Baguettes, pastries and humble pie * Raquettes and raclette in chilly Grenoble * A tasty tradition that’s fit for a king * Volunteers needed to offer support to cancer sufferers * Legion campaigns for more support for service people * Hospital and home visitors sought * Charity shop set up to care for feral cats * Court battle for expat war veteran who needs stairlift to leave home * Converting half our home into a business gives us more time for friends and family * Manage your electricity bill with Bleu Ciel plan * Notaires first in Europe to use electronic signature * Recycle your lightbulbs or have them collected for free * Smaller pools no longer need planning permission * New home-owners to pay less interest on mortgages

127 obsolete laws scrapped * Speed camera ‘doubling’ goes off radar * Healthcare Special: Five-year residency rule confirmed but critically ill still waiting update - Politicians try to get decision reversed - Readers have their say on healthcare changes - We run a B&B – are we entitled to cover? * Interview: Sarkozy is good news for expats, Ken Clarke tells The Connexion * Nature: France has 545 bird species – we look at ways you can enjoy them * Food: Learn about France’s mushrooms * Feature: Channel crossing – why 300,000 French people opt for the UK * Business special: A survival guide to legally running several professional activities at once * Practical: Are there rules on chimney sweeping? - Can a UK-registered car stay in France - Husband told to bridé motorbike - Half-price tutoring available at home - Ryanair flights to Rodez suspended - How does a ‘power of attorney’ work in France - Reforms have made planning simpler - How to resolve telecom problems - Transferring a house from sole to joint names * Healthcare: Can I claim on my partner’s E121 if we are not married? - Check if an E form is for you - Can you translate my cholesterol reading? * Finance: Dependency change to affect expats due for UK pensions after April 2010 - State wants a share if you win on the Ernie bonds - Will my death affect our French company house? * Football and cheerleading are catching on * Is it time to pension off the word ‘expat’? * Our small village has made us feel so incredibly welcome * Understanding life assurance policies * What to do when building work goes wrong * I doubled value of my home in seven months * Couple install wind turbine in back garden * November 15 is deadline for payment of the taxe d’habitation and TV licence * Reclaiming VAT on new-build house * How do I research my ancestors? * Is my UK disabled badge valid here? * France Telecom - help in English * Can I put up a 10m wind turbine? * How can I adopt  wife’s children? * Problems with new phone-net deal * Send your registered letters via online service * French resident but visiting UK this summer? Think of a CEAM * Why have we been refused a Carte Vitale? * Tips to ease the September school blues * 13,500 parents apply under change to school catchment rules * Comply with local water restrictions or risk a fine * ‘Cunning Bison’ helps you avoid worst of the jams * Télépéage: a speedier option for tolls * Insurance: The simple and the complicated of claiming * Information on a French pension * Consult a notaire before letting a farmer use part of your land * Make sense of the labels in French food shops * Couples must register roles in businesses * Post-election housing confidence fails to materialise outside Paris

Health changes will force us to move back to UK - Heroic police officer among those to lose CMU * Make your voice heard by voting and standing in next year’s local elections * Sarkozy’s British thinker muses on France * Healthcare special: Ministries confirm thousands of early retirees lose right to state healthcare; The key questions answered; What you should do; The cost of private cover * Franchises: Want to set up a business? Think franchise * Confusion and misinformation still exists about health E-forms * CMU rules: Understandable in light of directive * How do health changes affect me as dependent? * Free eye tests * Driving a French car in the UK * Phone bills have been doubled * Insuring a car kept in England * Radar detectors - are they legal? * Driving licence says ‘GB70’ * Viagers - where do I go for help? * How can I get counselling? * Expats can claim up to £300 in UK winter fuel allowance * Telepeage - how do you save money by using it? * Six days allowed to organise funeral * Gaz de France partners offer range of service options * Flu vaccines available free for over-65s * Inheritance reforms have improved situation for spouses and children * Civil partnerships have no legal force * Pacs partners commit to mutual solidarity * British couple refused loan due to nationality * Business: How to hire and keep the paperwork down * How to stop evening telesales calls and junk mail * The Taxe fonciere - you must pay by October 15 * A wood-burning stove: green, economical, sweet-smelling and your cat will love it * Tax rebates for rainwater collection systems

Thousands of expats lose access to French state healthcare cover - New law removes right for early retirees to enter CMU * High cost of buying in France * Vineyards: three couples who are living the dream * In adoption, French law may not apply * Maintenance of gas and other appliances * Planning permission for a garden wall? * Changes in law for chambres d’hote * Asbestos, termites, lead: Understand the checks you need * Untying the confusing threads of healthcare * Cost of cigarettes rises - kick the habit with state help * Dealing with bereavement or separation * Ryanair to stop promising ‘1p flights’ * Starting school: Vaccinations are obligatory * The French MOT test - le controle technique * Opticiens do not do tests * Insurance for students at school or university * Equity release catches on with expats * Does state pension stop Capital Gains Tax? * Two new branches to help English-speakers affected by cancer * What is Urssaf? * Building permits are needed for any construction that modifies a house’s facade * Taking a close look at the building permits needed for renovating * Getting EDF to pay you for electricity * Village resident hit by mystery taxes

MPs approve tax cuts and overtime boost * Driving: UK firms incorrectly selling items as legal requirement for France * Reclaiming VAT on new-build house * How do I research my ancestors? * Is my UK disabled badge valid here? * France Telecom - help in English * Can I put up a 10m wind turbine? * How can I adopt  wife’s children? * Problems with new phone-net deal * Send your registered letters via online service * French resident but visiting UK this summer? Think of a CEAM * Why have we been refused a Carte Vitale? * Tips to ease the September school blues * 13,500 parents apply under change to catchment rules * Comply with local water restrictions or risk a fine * ‘Cunning Bison’ helps you avoid worst of the jams * Telepeage: a speedier option for tolls * Insurance: The simple and the complicated of claiming * Information on a French pension * Consult a notaire before letting a farmer use part of your land * Make sense of the labels in French food shops * Couples must register roles in businesses * Post-election housing confidence fails to materialise outside Paris

UK-registered cars in France * Dual nationals stay British * Tax advice in English * Help available for the blind * Breaking through the confusion of ‘dependant beneficiary’ saga * Transferring your HRT requires visit to doctor * Understanding charges for dental treatment in France * Insurance: This sporting life…* Insuring peace of mind on French roads * Internet technology makes home security affordable and simple * Protecting a surviving spouse * Are UK state pensions taxable in France? * Tax In France and ISAs * New business start up: Good planning is essential to success * Renovating a Breton home old-style takes patience but has many benefits

Using a UK debit card in France can cost an extra €5 in €100 withdrawal * Families forced to live in half-finished homes after building permits revoked * The death of a loved one- coping in the French system with a sudden bereavement * Discover France’s hidden village gems * Healthcare: ‘Top-up’ insurance – is it really necessary? * Get your planning permission right * A step by step guide to applying for your permit * How to challenge a neighbour’s application * Changes in law make it easier to get an equity release mortgage * Do I have to pay social charges? * How to get ‘tax credits’ for home improvements if you do not pay tax * Starting a business with associates – which method will suit you best? * Why have I been refused a UK winter fuel allowance? * Insurance options for your yacht – and pet * Viager – the long term property gamble that can land the lucky an excellent deal

House prices start to slip across France * Healthcare: Remember, you must plan early * Visitor health rights based on EHIC * Live in France? You are automatically an organ donor unless you opt out * What assistance is there to help me turn green? * Do we need to fence our pond like our swimming pool? * Can you tell us what the law says about burial on private land? * French bank charges ‘difficult to understand’ * All your insurance questions answered * Time to complete French income tax returns * French rental income taxable for UK residents * What is meant by entreprise individuelle? * Explore the villages in the south west * A cooling French property market means its time for buyers to commence haggling