Law

France house sale cancelled over undisclosed wind farm project

Sellers claimed not to know of project

Irishman arrested in south-east France over alleged antisemitic threats in supermarket

How hate speech law works in France

New law for French funeral providers seeks to protect rights of bereaved families

Families are set to receive clearer information on their rights, costs and services

news

Italy plans €75 fine for using phone while crossing street

The planned changes would target distracted pedestrian behaviour on the road

Five questions about France’s new ‘aid in dying’ law

What is permitted by the law and who will be able to request it

Paris student faces €20,000 Airbnb fine after renting out flat

The student let her apartment for over 400 nights between 2019 and 2020

Does free legal help exist in France?

Some insurance policies include coverage of legal fees

Cold-calling: how new laws will impact people in France

The change will reduce unsolicited calls, but scams and overseas callers may remain a challenge

Divorce dissected: custody, finances, common mistakes for residents of France

Lawyer Floriane Laruelle, a senior associate at Dawson Cornwell who specialises in international children’s law, highlights common issues for bi-national couples

Blueprint,,Design,And,Hands,Of,Architects,Planning,Construction,,Strategy

What to do if your French property has a hidden defect

Hidden problems are called vices cachés and covered by Article 1641 of the French Civil Code

French MPs approve assisted dying bill - how it would work

Law could come into force early next year

Property developer ordered to repay €28,800 due to overvalued French estate

Valuation should have been explained to buyer, court rules

Weekend protests planned in France against rave crackdown

Protesters oppose a proposed law tightening penalties on 'free parties'

Rave parties on the rise in France as tougher law proposed

Recent gatherings have drawn crowds of up to tens of thousands of participants

Nice mayor announces grace period before issue of parking fines

Drivers will benefit from leeway to prevent being penalised for going slightly over ticket deadline

Local election rule changes in France and why you may have a new mayor in 2026

Communes with fewer than 1,000 residents are particularly set to see changes from next year

Divorced French woman must pay ex-husband’s €400,000 debt: Why?

The law that links former partners financially is controversial

Drivers from France may soon be subject to new alcohol limit when visiting Spain

The new measure is expected to be rolled out in 2025

Repeat incivilities on public transport in France may soon be punishable by jail time

Offenders who spit, put their feet on seats or play music too loud are targetted by new proposal

Return to door-to-door home rubbish collection expected for many in France

The decision could set a precedent for up to two million people in different areas of France

Skiers risk a fine (and even criminal charges) for these offences in France

From ‘speeding’ down slopes to drunkenness, we look at the rules of the mountains

Latest property energy efficiency rules as parliament rejects bill

Landlords now have to follow the climate law rules without exception

Legal: French court rules against using neighbour's land for parking

A droit de servitude (right of way) is not for mere convenience, rules France's highest court

More divorcees are being discharged from ex-partner’s debts in France

Under previous legislation, individuals were more often liable for their ex-partner’s debts and tax fraud

French councils ‘broke rules’ on smart camera surveillance of public

Illegal camera activity included the use of real-time facial recognition software

What changes are proposed in the planned new French immigration law?

The interior minister has set out four main proposals for a new 2025 immigration law

Inheritance in France: Can lodging a child for low rent cause issues?

The French supreme court has overturned a decision by the court of appeal on what constitutes a ‘gift’ by a parent

Is a French Pacs recognised in the UK or US?

The UK and US have differing legal views on French civil partnerships

Crackdown on knife-carrying in France: what are the rules?

Authorities are increasingly applying the existing law more rigorously, but critics say it is ‘too ambiguous’

A split image of the late actor Alain Delon on one side, and a grave being dug on the other side

Alain Delon buried at his French home: what are the rules for this?

Burials are uncommon at an individual residence and must satisfy certain conditions and have prior prefectural approval

Couple must reimburse €400,000 for French home that cannot be lived in

The problem was only discovered after the property had been sold

France changes its deadline rules for burials and cremations

Longer time between issue of death certificate and service now allowed

Health strike, foreigners’ tax errors, scams: French practical updates

Our round-up of recent practical articles you may have missed

A cartoon by artist Perry Taylor of a French garden, involving a humorous dispute between two neighbours.

Explained: How to settle disputes without going to court in France

We look at the new ‘amicable’ process for everyday civil claims introduced to find out-of-court solutions

A view of an orca whale in a marine zoo tank

Marineland in south of France again criticised over new whale death

An animal welfare association has filed a legal complaint but the park denies it keeps orcas in poor conditions

A view of an older woman signing a piece of paper

Tips for making a will in France without a notaire

We also cover ways to store your will securely and how foreigners can make different options to French residents

A woman opening a plastic bottle of water

Watchdog takes action over banned treatment of French mineral water

“Nobody, not even a multinational like Nestlé, is above the law,” it says

Student receives €7,000 in train fines after identity theft in France

The 20-year-old said he has to prove he was not on the train in each of the 30 plus cases

A view of a gendarmerie vehicle in France

Covid-19: French state guilty of stopping son visiting dying father

‘The last words my dad said to me on the phone were: “Don’t worry, we’ll see each other again.”’

Someone calculating a house’s DPE with a model of a house and the DPE rating on it

Property energy rating system in France eased (a little)

Smaller properties are to have their DPE calculated differently so their rating more accurately ‘reflects reality’, the government says

What are the laws surrounding trespassing in France?

Trespassing rules are governed by the furnished condition of a house and can include any garden also

A view of an iron on a red ironing board

Paris homeworker injured by her ironing board claims work accident

Court hears the woman broke her toes when the board fell on them as she opened a cupboard

Explainer: How criminal courts and jury service work in France

We look at the active role of judges, how cases are tried and why the system is so slow

EU decision on France’s inheritance law pushed back to February

Multiple complaints have been made to the European Commission against French forced heirship rules on foreigners

A view of town signs at the entrance of the town of Gaillac, Tarn, Occitanie

Four sent to jail over ‘home-jacking’ in south-west France

The masked gang arrived at home of retired couple armed with a gun and demanded valuables. The wife and a house cleaner were tied up

New law to stop ‘townie’ complaints over French farm smells and noises

MPs who voted for the law hope it will free up courts from cases about farmers ‘just doing their jobs’

A view of surgeons operating on a patient

‘No scar’: surgeon in France accused of just pretending to operate

The doctor denies the claims and said the allegations had ‘ruined the end of his career’

A child playing piano with the help of an adult teacher

Couple in court for homeschooling son without permission in France

‘We are not separatists, we are not dangerous,’ say the couple, who have been supported by homeschooling associations

A view of a model house, some keys, and a calculator

4 ways to lower the price when buying property in France

From agency commission to negotiating the cost of furnishings, here are some tips

A view of a car going fast past a speed camera sign

No penalty for driver caught at 275 km/h on French motorway

The court was forced to acquit the defendant based on a technicality

A woman holding her phone looking annoyed

Tips to avoid cold calls in France - and what to say if you get one

Be aware of marketing numbers and rules around nuisance calls

A view of the Senate hemicycle chamber in France

Senate debates compensation for gay people criminalised by France

A new proposal seeks to ‘repair society’s error’ and compensate those affected by at least €10,000 each plus extra for every day they spent in prison

Will French step-children inherit my estate?

John Kitching of French Law Consultancy answers a reader query

U-turn on strict environmental rules for holiday chalets in France

A building firm has won a legal battle to drop costly green regulations for small holiday bungalows

50 French senators back more flexible rules for second-home owners

More than a quarter of the dominant Les Républicains group in the Senate have now put their name to one or more amendments

Why France’s justice minister is himself on trial

In an unprecedented scenario, the former high-profile lawyer faces charges into ‘illegal conflicts of interest’

Senate votes to ban ‘inclusive language’ from official French texts

The authors of the proposal said the gender neutral conventions are too confusing for people with dyslexia and other cognitive disabilities

How to declare possession of a gun in France

Hunters must create an online account and declare their weapons by the end of the year, with other owners to follow in 2024. We explain the system

A protester holding a placard reading: ‘My body, my choices’ in French

Why Macron wants the right to abortion added to French constitution

The president announced the plan as part of an homage to the French lawyer instrumental in making abortion legal in France in 1975

A view of a prison officer locking a prison gate

14 years’ jail for man who escaped from French prison by helicopter

The gangster was said to have been inspired by prison-break films

A man peering through a neighbouring fence

Explainer: Rights and obligations for shared garden walls in France

What work can you do on your side and what are the shared costs and responsibilities?

Bid to stop marmot hunting in France fails

Six environmental associations denounced the hunting as ‘scandalous’ but the court did not rule in their favour

Are all-season tyres allowed during winter in France?

Winter tyres are required from November in several areas of France, but the rules do offer a degree of flexibility

A digital image with a phone and laptop and a padlock and devices to show a safer internet

What the new digital law will change for people in France

The new rules will ‘protect citizens, children, and businesses’, the digital minister has promised

‘School bullies in France must get more help as well as victims’

A recent law change, which can force bullies to change school, has been welcomed but more support still needed, says anti-bullying charity

A view of a crop field and someone wearing gloves holding a bottle of glyphosate

Boy, 16, compensated in France after mother’s exposure to glyphosate

It is the first official acknowledgment of a link between the pesticide and prenatal damage

Why does a new French anti-squatting law appear to protect squatters?

Judges who tweaked a new law are accused of being more concerned about squatters’ comfort than owners’ rights

Court cancels two water ‘megabasin’ projects in western France

The controversial reservoirs were ‘not associated with any real water-saving measures,’ it ruled

Apple’s iPhone 12 is removed from sale in France due to wave issue

The company has two weeks to fix the problem

Complaints grow over France’s inheritance law on forced heirship

European Commission notes wide public interest as it studies legality of 2021 forced heirship rules

Macron raises possibility of referendum on immigration in France

But would such a plan first need constitutional change?

A view of three plant-based ‘burgers’ made from chickpeas

France prepares to ban use of word ‘steak’ for vegetarian food items

The agriculture ministry is working on a new decree on the controversial issue, which would also ban the use of the words ‘bacon’ and ‘sausage’ for plant-based products

Are speed camera detectors in cars legal in France?

In car ‘radar warning systems’ can alert drivers of fixed speed cameras and some can use live information to warn of mobile devices also

Activists from the feminist group Femen protesting

Support for woman prosecuted for walking topless in street in France

She said she was only doing what ‘half of men do’ and that she was overheating. A woman previously prosecuted for doing the same said the current law is unfair

I agree French visa system is too difficult

A Connexion reader says that troubles are not limited to online processes – face-to-face appointments can also be challenging

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