Coronavirus deconfinement aside, there are a number of regulatory changes happening in France this month including: changes in the housing sector, driving and buying cars, taxes and unemployment and gas and electricity prices.
Read more: Deconfinement in France: key June and summer dates
Declaring taxes
Tax declarations for 2020 (on income from 2019) must be done in June. Deadlines for declarations vary according to which department in France you live:
Departments 01 – 19: Thursday, June 4
Departments 20 – 54: Monday, June 8
Departments 55 – 976: Thursday, June 11
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Declarations must be submitted before 23h59 on the relevant date.
Lower gas prices
From June 1 gas prices will go down an average of 0.45% compared to prices in May. This includes reductions of 0.7% for those who use gas only for cooking, 1.5% for cooking and hot water, and 2.9% for cooking, hot water and gas heating.
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Higher electricity prices
From May 30, electricity prices will go up by 5.9%.
Joint property ownership
From June, many rules around management of joint ownership properties are being modified. These include increased possibilities for calling votes to solve issues and reduced powers to oppose building work to make communal areas comply with disability standards.
From June 1, 2020 - January 31, 2021, official discussions can also take place by telephone or virtually, and votes can be submitted by mail.
Noise pollution
Those selling property in areas affected by noise pollution (such as flight paths) will have to provide buyers with a document detailing the situation.
Extended rights for renters who don’t pay rent
Winter housing protections prevent landlords from evicting renters during cold months even if they don’t pay their rent. These protections (known as la trêve hivernale) normally end on May 31, but in 2020 they have been extended until July 10.
As such, landlords whose tenants are not paying their rent cannot take action against them until July.
Help to buy eco-cars
Measures recently announced by President Macron to support people buying ‘clean’ cars will come into effect in June.
Premiums for individuals who buy new electric cars, costing up to €45,000 will rise from €6,000 to €7,000. For businesses, premiums will rise from €3,000 to €5,000. Premiums of €2,000 for purchases of rechargeable hybrid vehicles will also be made available.
For low-income families, the premium for buying a combustion car will rise to €3,000 and the premium for buying a hybrid or electric car will rise to €5,000.
Read more: Macron promises up to €12,000 to buy eco cars
Learning to drive
From June 1 driving schools will have to provide students with new contracts detailing how many lessons they expect students (depending on their capabilities) to take and how much lessons will cost.
This should help learner drivers do cost comparisons between courses, encourage competition between schools, and lower prices overall.
Partial unemployment benefits
From June 1, the French government will reduce its contributions to partial unemployment (chômage partiel) schemes. This will not change the income of those currently benefitting from partial employment. However, most employers will have to take on more financial responsibility, and pay 15% of partial unemployment costs.
During confinement in France, the government covered 100% of costs for workers’ hours lost as a result of the coronavirus pandemic (up to a limit of €6,927 brut.)
However, exceptions have been made for employers in the tourism, culture and restaurant sectors, who will still see 100% of costs covered by the government.
Those in vulnerable circumstances, such as the over-65s, obese people, diabetics, and cancer patients will also continue to have access to partial unemployment benefits. A complete list of those considered vulnerable is available here.
Related articles:
France to lift limit on train seat sales from mid-June
Can we travel to our second home in France in June?
Covid-19: France's restaurants can reopen from June 2
