The Connexion 244 - February 2023 e-Paper

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The Connexion 244 - February 2023 e-Paper
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What's inside this month's edition?

On the front page

Property market: price falls are coming, but not a crash
French property prices have been stabilising after several boom years and a slight drop is now thought likely

Launch of EU Entry/Exit System is delayed

The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is to be delayed from its planned start date in May, it is now widely assumed

Meet Reachy, France's hottest robot

Reachy, a robot made by a Bordeaux company, has won $2million at a prestigious US tech con[1]test and is attracting buyers from different fields

French news explained

New rules and changes in France affecting residents and second-home owners
UK conman may have other victims hidden in France, says mayor
More English-speaking victims of ‘Puppet Master’ conman Robert Hendy-Freegard could be living in France, unaware the British fraudster has been arrested
55 Britons, 85 Americans told to leave in 2022
Fifty-five British people were ordered to leave France in the first nine months of 2022, figures from the European Commission’s statistics body Eurostat show
Dismay at verdict on hunt killing
Friends of a 25-year-old Franco-British man shot dead on land he owned next to his home when a hunter mistook him for a boar say it is wrong that the hunt organiser was not given a lifetime ban
Kiwis, faces, corks... wacky roundabout art
It has become the custom for ronds-points (or giratoires) to be decorated in some way – whether it be a monument, sculpture, floral design, or homage to a town’s history
Let us reuse water, say golf clubs
Golf courses have been lobbying the government to make it easier for them to use reused water on their greens, ahead of the expected announcement of a new waste plan
Food prices set to rise again in March
The year ahead offers little respite from cost-of-living rises, with food prices in particular expected to go up again in March
New group will fight for rights of UK nationals
A new association pledging to represent the British diaspora in the EU and fight for better rights launches this month
Coming to France with family post-Brexit: regroupement
The question of how to bring close family members here arises when, post-Brexit, Britons – and other non-EU citizens – start to look into visa and residency card formalities
La Poste to try ending daily deliveries
Letters will no longer be delivered on a daily basis in many parts of France as part of a trial by La Poste
Ferry routes, energy prices, cold calling... new changes in France
We look at 10 changes that are up and coming in France
Why Americans are flocking to Air France (and it’s not all about food)
Air France is winning fans on both sides of the Atlantic – for reliability, but also for its customer service and ethics
Don’t blame gender for your learning difficulty
You might have heard people claim that women find it easier than men when it comes to learning a language
Make patients ‘part of the team’ to cut costs and hasten recovery
French hospitals are (slowly) getting patients more involved in their treatments to help save money and lives

Practical advice and updates for living in France

Understanding new energy audits
From April, owners of houses with a poor energy rating will have to provide the results of an energy audit to prospective buyers
End of regulated gas prices – how to find the best deal
Regulated gas tariffs are due to be abolished on June 30, meaning millions of clients must start to think about their switch to a contract at market prices
Water bills set to rise
Water bills are to rise across much of France – another effect of rising inflation.
Hundreds of estate agents are breaking the law
Common infringements relate to incomplete information provided to clients and deceitful sales tactics
Choose the right lightbulb
When it comes to saving on energy costs, small actions such as choosing the right lightbulb can go a long way
Warning of insurance issues as flood-risk zones expand
Measures to reduce the risk to life and property from flooding are being overhauled by the government – revising upwards the potential number of people affected
Hidden costs can have huge impact on an assurance vie
Unless you are completely new to France, you have probably heard of, or know something about, the assurance vie, including the fact that it is easily the most popular investment structure for French residents
Our financial writer answers your money queries on page 33
You can find more information on managing your money in France in our Money and Tax section on pages 33 and 34, and online 

Readers questions answered

  • Does Crit’Air apply to disabled drivers?
  • Can I belong to US Medicare and the French healthcare system?
  • What happened to the ban on restaurant terrace heaters?
  • What are you supposed to do with old car tyres in France?
  • What is a ville fleurie and how does a town get this label?

French living

Simone Veil: a force for good, for women, for France, for all
Simone Veil’s traumatic start in life under the Nazis drove her to help others for the rest of her life
Spirit of adventure: take a tour around France’s many historic distilleries
French distilleries are famous worldwide for their cognac, a brandy produced in distilleries around the city of the same name, but French distilling doesn’t stop there
‘Our job is to explain to people what they have seen’
We talk to Vincent Costes, the head of Geipan, a wing of France’s answer to Nasa that seeks to explain unidentified objects in the sky and other phenomena reported by the public
French classics for vegans
We meet an American living in the south of France who creates vegan alternatives to favourite French dishes
Rich Breton treat is enjoyed worldwide
Prepared with bread dough and loaded with butter and sugar, Kouign-amann is imitated all over the world

More from the February edition

Gardens: Truffle-growing on the rise again – and you can try planting oaks in your garden
Comment: Do you agree? La Poste proves automation has gone too far
Heritage: World’s largest cinema reborn with €3.2m facelift
Language: French plays by its own rules
Money: Recovering funds from late dad’s French bank
Careers: My UK job was fulfilling but alpacas really feel like family
Food and drink: Meet the mocktail tastemakers, part of French zero-alcohol boom