News Digest: France’s Cold Snap, More Strikes & Join Us at the French Property Exhibition

We laid out the details of Emmanuel Macron’s proposed pension reform bill in last week’s news digest, and last Thursday (January 19^th) saw the first of a series of nationwide strikes in protest against the raising of the pension age to 64 and the end of the special pension regimes. Public transport across the country was severely disrupted, with only one in five TGV lines operating and many local and regional trains and trams stopping all services. Large demonstrations also took place in more than 200 towns and cities throughout France, with the Interior Ministry reporting total turnouts of 1.12 million participants (unions, on the other hand, reported turnouts of more than 2 million).

The Assemblée Nationale is set to start debating the bill from February 6, and in the meantime, more strikes have been announced. The next major strike action is planned for Tuesday, January 31^st, with unions hoping for a similar turnout to last week’s strike. Expect transport services to be delayed or disrupted throughout France. In addition, the CGT union has announced a 48-hour strike of oil refinery workers on January 26^th, followed by a further strike from February 6^th-8^th.

It’s been an odd winter, weather-wise, in France. After historically warm temperatures at the beginning of winter, followed by some freezing temperatures in the run-up to Christmas, France saw a warmer (and rainier) than usual start to the New Year. This week, however, the mercury is plummeting, with freezing temperatures, frost, and snowfall predicted across much of the country.

Average morning temperatures across much of north and west France are between 0°C and 2°C, with some of the coldest temperatures reported in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region – a frosty -6C! Don’t worry; the cold snap isn’t set to last too long – forecasts predict that temperatures will begin to climb again as we move into February.

It’s here! The French Property Exhibition 2023 is taking place this weekend – on the 28th and 29th of January at Novotel West in Hammersmith, London – and we can’t wait to see you all there!

In association with FrenchEntrée and sponsored by our partners, Blevins Franks, the free event is the place to browse thousands of French properties and find answers to questions on legal, financial, currency exchange, tax and inheritance concerns, as well as building and renovation, removals, visas, and much more.

Not only that, but you’ll be able to attend free seminars by experts, including Leggett Immobilier, Blevins Franks, Ashtons Legal, French Connections HCB, and many more. You can see the full seminar schedule here, and you might also notice my own name on the list… I’ll be covering all the basics that you need to know to start your property buying or moving to France journey, and I can’t wait to share all my top tips with you all!

You can also check out the full list of exhibitors here and, most importantly, sign up for your free tickets here.

I hope to see you all there!