-
EU looks to increase Etias travel authorisation fee from €7 to €20
Second-home owners and other visitors from the UK and US will need this from autumn 2026
-
What dangerous snakes are in France and what to do if you spot one
Anyone killing a snake risks a fine and potentially a prison sentence
-
Ryanair says flights over France must be protected from air traffic controller strikes
Strikes at start of the month cost airlines over €100 million as budget airline claims workers ‘wanted time off’
Push to raise motorway tolls
Operators want charges to rise, as the year’s busiest weekend on the road approaches
MOTORWAY operator Vinci wants to raise tolls to compensate for the higher charges it needs to pay the government.
The operator said it saw no other way to maintain profits after the government raised Vinci’s own tariff by 50%.
The operators have already taken the government to court over the rise, saying it breaches their contracts.
Both the operators and the spending watchdog the cours des comptes have criticized the current privatization contracts which were established in 2006.
The director general of Vinci, Xavier Huillard, said they were drawn up in a financial context that no longer existed and the State was changing its mind about how the system should work.
The cour des comptes also blamed the contracts, while criticising the motorway operators for previous price rises.
Worst weekend
This Saturday is the worst day of the year on the roads as the annual chassé-croisé (the crossover between July holiday makers and August ones) takes place.
Traffic this morning is rated orange for departures (heading to the south and/or the sea from central areas) but largely green for returns, except in the south east.
Saturday is black for departures and red for returns. Be prepared for long jams, especially in the heat.
Sunday is green for departures and in the east for returns, but orange for returns in the west.