-
GR, GRP, PR: What do the French hiking signs mean?
What are the coloured symbols on French hiking routes? Who paints them there and why?
-
Miss France: glam - but not sexy
Miss France organiser Geneviève de Fontenay fears she is fighting a losing battle to protect her 'Cinderella dream' from vulgarity
-
Normandy Landings visit for Queen
Queen Elizabeth has confirmed a state visit to France, ending rumours she is handing over duties to Charles
Foreign cigarette limit kept
MPs keep maximum number of cartons you can buy abroad at five, despite protests that this breaches EU law
THE number of cigarette cartons you can legally bring into France from abroad has been kept at five.
MPs voted to keep the cap despite criticism from the government that it breaches European Union rules on the free movement of goods.
The government had tabled an amendment to remove the cap, saying that, if France was ordered to scrap it, cross-border cigarette trade would rocket instantly as a result of France's higher prices.
Government studies have shown that between 12 and 22 per cent of cigarettes smoked in France are bought abroad.
MPs voted not to raise the price of cigarettes again, having already pushed up prices in November.
Currently 80 per cent of the price of a packet goes to the government.