News Digest: Macron Urges EU Support of Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron held a conference with European leaders in Paris last night (Monday, Feb 26th), where he pushed for greater effort in supporting Ukraine in the ongoing war against Russia. The conference opened with a video address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after which Macron spoke, urging greater support from the Western powers. Russia “must not and cannot win this war,” he stated, making reference to the recent death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Russia and putting forward the concern that Russia may attack further countries in the years to come.

Macron was joined by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and ministers from Canada and the US were also present.

Speaking after the conference, Macron insisted that France would “do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war,” and while he assured that there was no consensus today to send in troops on the ground, he also said pointedly that “nothing can be ruled out”.

(Read more on this story at the Guardian and the New York Times).

We published our list of changes in France for 2024 back at the beginning of the year, but here’s another one to add to the list. This week it was confirmed that two prices concerning doctor’s fees will rise as of March 31^st2024 (read the official report here):

1.     The ‘franchise médicale’, which is the obligatory fee paid by the patient (i.e. you!) that is neither paid for by your state healthcare (if you have a valid Carte Vitale) nor by your mutuelle top-insurance, if you have one. This contribution will now double from €0.50 to €1 for prescriptions and paramedical procedures, and from €2 to €4 for patient transport. There will be a €50 cap on these fees per person, per year.

2.     The ‘participation forfaitaire’, which is the obligatory fee paid as above for appointments with your médecin traitant (GP) or medical specialists. This contribution will also increase from the current €1 to a proposed €3 (the exact hasn’t yet been confirmed).

Just in case you didn’t already know, 2024 is a leap year, known as “une année bissextile” in French. Various traditions take place around the year to mark February 29^th, which, of course, only comes around once every four years. In the UK and US, for example, a popular tradition is to propose to your loved one on the rare date – but with a twist, as February 29^th proposals traditionally see the woman propose to the man instead of the other way round (although, naturally, this part only applies to heterosexual couples!).

In France, however, traditions are far less romantic. The most popular leap year tradition is the publication of a special satirical newspaper, “La Bougie du Sapeur”, which is only published every four years. You’ll find the newspaper on sale across the country this Thursday, February 29th (you can also take out a 100-year subscription for €100!), and all profits are donated to charity, so there’s no excuse to not get involved. Maybe you bought one last time – back in 2020 – if so, make sure to dig it out, as you’ll finally get the answers to the cryptic crossword. Better late than never!