Interest on Livret A savings accounts to fall
The interest rate of France’s main tax-free, government-regulated savings account is set to fall again in August 2025.
It will be the second interest rate drop for the Livret A this year following a decrease from 3% to 2.4% in February 2025. Prior to this, a 3% interest rate was in place for 18 months.
While the exact figure is not yet certain, predictions are that it will fall by around 0.7%, to a new level of 1.7% from August 1.
‘Opt in’ ad trial scrapped
A trial that limited advertising leaflets in letterboxes to those who ‘opted in’ will not be rolled out across France.
The experiment, which ran between September 2022 and April 2025 in several areas including Nancy and Bordeaux, saw leafleting through letterboxes banned unless explicit permission had been given by residents.
This was made clear via a sticker stating adverts were approved (‘oui pub’). Promotional samples of newspapers of magazines (échantillons de presse) were the only exempt materials that could be put in letterboxes without stickers.
A report on the trial, submitted to the government by the commissariat for sustainable development, does not include a recommendation to widen the programme.
Yellow lights street crossings
Several large cities in France – including Nice, Nantes and Toulouse – have been authorised to continue testing a new yellow ‘traffic light’ system for pedestrians, in addition to the usual green and red symbols.
The trials, which had been due to end this year, are now set to last until 2027.
The yellow light comes on just before the light turns back to red. It may flash or remain steady and means:
Pedestrians who are already on the crossing should hurry, as the light is about to turn red
Pedestrians who have not yet entered the crossing should wait until the next green light to cross the road.
VAT threshold change delayed
The decision to introduce lower VAT thresholds for micro-entrepreneurs in France has been delayed until autumn
If the measure is approved, it could be introduced in 2026.
The draft 2025 budget included measures that would greatly reduce the thresholds at which self-employed people would need to start charging VAT. The change is unlikely to happen this year, Finance Minister Eric Lombard announced in April.
Read more: French tax declaration deadlines approach: how to get help if needed
Mass recall of blood pressure medication
A mass recall of prescription drug Lisinopril, which is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), is under way in France due to incorrect information on the packaging that may lead to patients taking an overdose.
The recall concerns 32,000 boxes of Lisinopril sold in 5mg scored tablet format (comprimés sécable), that comes in boxes of 28 or 84 distributed in France since March 2024.
One million to receive €44 from mutuelle
Policy holders with top-up health insurance provider Harmonie mutelle are set to be reimbursed €44 each after the insurer recorded nearly €100million in profits last year.
The health top-up will pay the sum, known as an ‘eco-santé dividend’, to all policy holders who have comprehensive coverage and have been with the group for at least two years in June – amounting to around 1.2 million people in France.
In addition, a further €44million in payouts to corporate customers under group contracts (ie. workers covered by Harmonie mutuelle policies) will be paid at a later date.
QR codes on medicines
Digital QR codes are set to replace paper leaflets for around 100 medicines from autumn under a new trial. Announced at the end of 2024, the scheme will see the boxes of 100 drugs found in pharmacies – and more than 450 found in hospitals – amended from October 1.
In a trial lasting two years, the information about the medicines usually found in the physical paper leaflet will be available to patients and medical professionals by scanning the code found on the box with their smartphone or other device.
Drugs set to be included in the trial range from paracetamol and vaccines to proton pump inhibitors (for gastric acid issues) and statins.
If successful, the rollout of the technology is set to become more widespread.
However, paper notices will remain available during at least part of the trial, according to ANSM, France’s National Agency for the Safety of Medicines.
Read more: How long is the average wait in French hospital emergency departments near you?
Google.fr to disappear
US tech giant Google is set to retire localised versions of its website, including French Google.fr.
The move – also set to impact the UK, German, Spanish, and Italian versions of the site alongside several others – comes as localising internet searches through domains becomes less useful for users. These localised websites will re-route automatically to Google.com, the company’s worldwide search engine.
Users will not have to do anything manually for the switch to take place, although may be asked to reset certain preferences to ensure they receive optimal results on the site.
iPhone users bring group action for ‘spying’
A group of iPhone users in France has launched collective legal action against US tech giant Apple, claiming their devices are “abusively listening” to them via the voice assistant Siri.
The lawsuit, brought by lawyer and former Green Party MP Julien Bayou, and two fellow lawyers, is calling for refunds for the purchase of Apple devices.
The case dates back to 2019, when a whistleblower claimed Siri was eavesdropping on personal speech without users’ knowledge, and without them having asked for help from the assistant by using the wake words “Hey Siri”.
Apple denies it ordered private conversations to be transcribed but admitted Siri used to record conversations to train it to become more helpful.
The lawyers are still accepting applications from people in France who believe they have been affected by this “abusive listening”. You can register a complaint via ecoutesabusives.fr until the end of June, providing your iPhone is less than 10 years old.
Those wishing to register must click the button “Je Veux Participer (I want to participate)”, and then provide details of the claim, personal contact information, plus proof of ownership of the iPhone.
Exemption from EV registration fees to end
The cost of registering an electric vehicle (EV) increased in all areas of France from May 1, with the exception of Hauts-de-France.
Drivers purchasing an electric or hybrid car were previously exempt from fees when applying for registration documents (certificat d’immatriculation or carte grise) in France.
This incentive was introduced in 2020 to encourage buyers to invest in zero-emission vehicles.
Boost for Dordogne home renovations
Residents in the Dordogne-Périgord area of Nouvelle-Aquitaine will soon be able to benefit from extra support to renovate older houses to be more environmentally and age-friendly.
Department authorities launched the Pacte territorial Dordogne-Périgord, funded in part by the national housing agency l’Agence nationale de l’habitat (Anah), in April.
The aim is to make support (whether technical, environmental, and/or financial) accessible, impartial, and free to all residents in 13 communes.
Fitness tests in schools
Starting in September, pupils in France entering 6ème (ages 11-12) will undergo fitness tests as part of a new initiative to assess and improve physical health.
The tests, which are voluntary but encouraged, will include endurance, muscular strength, and speed assessments.
This follows a trial conducted on 4,000 pupils that showed correlations between physical fitness and academic performance in subjects such as French and mathematics.
Tap water ban for ‘vulnerable people’
People considered to be ‘vulnerable’ have been advised not to drink the tap water in 11 communes in north-east France due to concerns it has been contaminated by an anti-fire mousse, which contains so-called ‘forever chemicals’ (PFAS).
The contamination occurred due to firefighters using anti-fire foam at and near Basel-Mulhouse Airport over the past few years. The communes are all close to the airport, near Basel, in the Saint-Louis area in Haut-Rhin (Grand Est).
The ban came into effect on May 5 and is expected to remain in place until at least December 31.
Those considered to be vulnerable in this context include pregnant or breastfeeding women, children under two, immunocompromised individuals or those undergoing chemotherapy and certain older people
10 million mosquitoes released
Some 10 million tiger mosquitoes are being deliberately released in Nouvelle-Aquitaine – but they are all sterile.
It is hoped that female mosquitoes will partner with one of these during their brief mating period. The eggs they lay will then be empty, failing to produce larvae, and thus quickly reducing the species’ population in the area.
Authorities in Brive-La-Gaillarde (Corrèze) are the first to take part in such a scheme, at a cost of €52,000. The first set of 40,000 sterile males were released in May, with more let loose every few days until the end of the season in autumn.
Warning over old electrics
People in France with electric installations older than 15 years have been warned of anomalies and fire risk.
In a new report, the Observatoire national de la sécurité électrique (ONSE) estimates that 82.6% of appliances above this age are faulty, which could lead to potential issues such as overheating, short-circuiting, and electrocutions. It estimates the number of homes with at least one faulty appliance is 87.5% (or 79.1% for flats).
There are calls for safer electrical appliance usage to become part of France’s housing policy, through regular inspections, increasing the skill of electricians working on homes, and educating members of the public about safer use of electrical appliances.
Read more: People in France with electric installations older than 15 years warned of anomalies and fire risk
Groundwater levels remain high
More than half of France’s water tables are at an above average level heading into summer, but authorities have not ruled out the possibility of droughts in the coming months.
The latest report by the Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM), published on May 14, found that around 27% are at lower-than-average levels, particularly in the north-east and east, Brittany, Normandy, and especially in the Pyrénées-Orientales, where groundwater levels remain critically low.
This is typical for the time of year, as spring rainfall fills up underground reservoirs, but is rapidly consumed by emerging vegetation.
Fraud risk after lab data leak
Laboratory chain Cerbailliance has been contacting some users after a cyber attack compromised the personal information of thousands of patients, including their email addresses, names, and dates of birth.
Many victims were from the south-east of France, although the incident could have impacted anyone who has used the laboratories and signed into the website to access test results. If you have not been contacted, your details were very likely not taken. Cerbailliance says that no medical information was at risk.
Users have been asked to change the password they use to access their personal space on the Cerbailliance website, and to be aware of potential scammers trying to contact them. If concerned, you can call a dedicated free helpline (0 800 95 27 27), or email the laboratory at info-labo-rgpd@cerballiance.fr.
