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The battle between old and new France is now impossible to ignore
Columnist Nabila Ramdani argues that the colonial mindset is still very strong in a country looking to the past
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France’s speed cameras are infuriating – and that’s why they keep getting vandalised
Columnist Samantha David says the devices seem designed to catch drivers out
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Reinstating the French monarchy makes no sense at all
Columnist Nick Inman argues against a right-wing delusion
Papers piling up
It would be easier to accept the French government’s professed concern for the environment if there were evidence that it designed its administrative procedures with the health of the planet in mind.
I make this observation because I am currently involved in the process of assembling the paperwork for an application for a carte de séjour and so far have amassed around half a kilogramme of paper – I accept some of this paper mountain is “just in case”, but even so!
Additionally, it seems I must make at least two trips to the prefecture, which is more than 100km from where I live. Overall, not exactly an environmentally friendly process.
Accepting the conditions that one must have lived in France for at least five years and have sufficient income not to be a burden on the French state, surely all the evidence required to prove these facts is contained in one’s French income tax returns for those five years: a communication between the Fisc and the prefecture could verify this.
And all the bills etc said to prove residence in France without periods of absence of more than two weeks or so at a time in fact do nothing of the sort! As for the fingerprint requirement, that could be done at a local gendarmerie.
Just my pennyworth to help save the planet, reduce the workload at the prefecture and last, but not least, save me a lot of time and expense.
Malcolm EVANS, Haute-Garonne
