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The Connexion publishes news from France and also important information
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so to read it in full simply click on the 'Continue' link. On the right,
you'll find more articles from previous editions of the newspaper.
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In addition we publish helpsheets on important topics such as healthcare,
taxes etc which you can order using the helpsheets button above. |
| NEWS |
| Hadopi 2 fails to deter web users |
| Report finds web users are ditching peer-to-peer sharing for alternative download methods that get around the new law |
A NEW law designed to tackle online piracy is having the opposite effect on French internet users, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Rennes found that since the Hadopi 2 law was passed last autumn, illegal downloading has grown by 3%.
They found the law - instead of discouraging online piracy - was merely encouraging people to find alternative ways of getting access to copyrighted material without getting caught.
The study of 2,000 internet users in Brittany fou |
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| MONEY |
| Top savings don't always add up |
| Assurance vie contracts can be very tax efficient, but that cannot be the only criteria for selecting an investment |
Q: I AM interested by an assurance vie contract in sterling as I have savings in the UK which are shrinking and transferring funds into a French euro account would involve a poor exchange rate.
Such an assurance vie facility would allow me to invest in sterling from a UK account without the exchange rate penalty; secondly, I would benefit from a reasonable (4% plus) rate of return; thirdly, I would pay tax/social charges only on the 'interest' element of my funds and, finally, I could con |
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| HEALTHCARE |
| Getting back to UK for dying relative |
| If you have loved ones in the UK, France can be further away than you think if you need to get back in an emergency |
By Patricia Mansfield-Devine
LAST summer my husband and I got the phone call that no one in France wants to hear: "If you want to see your loved one alive, do not leave it until the weekend."
It concerned my husband’s mother, Lise, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer a few weeks earlier. At first, the doctors were optimistic that she would live at least a year, but then we got a call to say she had deteriorated.
We hurriedly began to pack, and discussed our transport options |
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| PRACTICAL |
| Hiring children's ski clothes |
| A number of ski hire shops are branching out to offer children's ski clothes |
A NUMBER of ski hire shops are branching out to offer children's ski clothes such as trousers and jackets as well as boots and skis for hire.
It is worth calling ahead to see if shops at the resorts you are visiting offer this facility.
The Sport2000 chain offers children’s clothes for €35 per week and €15 for a weekend at certain stores.
You can reserve equipment in advance on http://location-ski.sport2000.fr for discount prices.
Also try www.skimium.fr
It is also possible t |
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| PROPERTY |
| How to let your home to tourists |
| Letting your French property when it is not in use can be an excellent additional source of income. We explain how. |
Whether you have a French second home or live in France permanently but have extended stays away, letting your property when it is not in use can be an excellent additional source of income.
This is different from long-term lets which come into effect for lets of more than three months, where a person will usually consider where they are staying as a home.
Holiday lets are referred to as location de vacances (holiday let), location saisonnière (seasonal let) or a meublé d |
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| POLITICS |
| Expat vote grows in importance |
| Connexion edition: December 2007 |
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THE British Electoral Commission is urging the 5.5 million expats who live abroad to vote in the next general election.
The commission, which was set up by Parliament but is independent of the government, says that, of the 200,000 Britons who live in France, only 20,000 are registered to vote. The commission has launched a publicity campaign to increase this number. It also has a website on the topic at www.aboutmyvote.org.uk.
Head of campaigns Nina Ziaullah said: “If a snap election is ca |
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| LETTERS |
| UK 0800 calls can cost 20p/min here |
| "I would like to remind readers not to be taken in with UK 0800 numbers when phoning from France." |
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I would like to remind readers not to be taken in with UK 0800 numbers when phoning from France.
We were guilty of not following our own rules when trying to arrange some speedy house insurance on our UK property after the existing company told us the premiums would be rising by 22% – the third increase in a row – despite no claims being made over recent years.
Our much larger French house costs about a third of the latest UK quote.
The result is that our latest phone bill was nearly th |
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| AMERICAN CONNEXION |
| US and France: What’s next? |
| How will a new US administration affect relations with France? A spokesman for the US Embassy in Paris explains. |
By Perry Leopard
Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on January 20. As his new administration begins their work The Connexion spoke with consular officers at the American embassy about what the change might mean for French-American political and business relations.
“Whenever you have a new president, of whichever party, there are new opportunities to explore, new ways of working together,” said Daniel Harris, the minister counsellor for commer |
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| FEATURES & INTERVIEWS |
| We're poorer but happier in France |
| What prompts British people to give up jobs in the UK and move to France? We speak to families who made the move |
THE RECESSION has hit the pockets of many people living in France. The economic downturn has hit businesses and shrunk the jobs market.
Expats have been particularly hard hit for several reasons.
Pensioners and anyone drawing income from the UK have seen their earnings drop as the value of the pound tumbled against the euro.
This adds to the problems faced by Britons moving to France, even at the best of times.
People of working age often give up an established career or business t |
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| BUSINESS |
| The ups and downs of running chalets |
| We ask three chalet owners how the peak winter ski season is looking |
The heavy snow that hit much of France in January provided a lifeline for chalet owners. We ask three of them how the peak winter ski season is looking
Morzine - Haute-Savoie
WHEN the phone stopped ringing at Francesca and Paul Eyre’s independent chalet business last winter, the pair knew they needed to take action fast.
They tightened up their budget, decided not to replace one departing member of staff and invested some of the saved money in a major PR offensive. They also got |
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| COMMUNITY |
| Aix show planned for Stacey Kent |
| Grammy-nominated Anglo-American jazz singer will sign in French and English at the Grand Théâtre on April 29 |
Grammy-nominated Anglo-American jazz singer Stacey Kent will take to the stage at the Grand Théâtre in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, on April 29 from 20.30.
The performer, who was decorated with the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres last year, will be playing pieces from her new French-language album Raconte-Moi as well as earlier material in English.
Tickets range from €8 to €40. See www.legrandtheatre.net |
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| TRAVEL |
| Your rights if air travel goes wrong |
| A range of European regulations and international conventions provide you with certain rights when using flights |
MANY people experienced flight delays and cancellations last month - leaving them inconvenienced and sometimes out of pocket too.
A range of European regulations and international conventions provide you with certain rights when using flights from France, the UK and other EU countries.
Your flight is cancelled:
The airline should provide free refreshments, two phone calls, food (depending on length of wait), a stay in a hotel if necessary and, if appropriate, a transfer to a rep |
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