https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The European Union is in a ‘Barbieland’, presenting itself as a model of harmony and unity while beneath the surface several tensions threaten the unity of the bloc. At least, that’s the verdict of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in a new report. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240925/the-eu-is-in-barbieland-and-becoming-more-xenophobic-new-report-warns Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:12:47 +0200 the-eu-is-in-barbieland-and-becoming-more-xenophobic-new-report-warns Emmanuel Macron's own camp admit that his decision to call snap elections is a gamble - but will it pay off? John Lichfield looks at the chances of success for the president's party, and the chance of failure for Marine Le Pen's candidates. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240610/opinion-macrons-election-gamble-is-an-invitation-to-calamity Mon, 10 Jun 2024 12:45:25 +0200 opinion-macrons-election-gamble-is-an-invitation-to-calamity The European elections saw drop dramatic results in various countries and some heavy defeats for incumbent leaders. But now the results are (almost) in, it's time to look at what happens next in Brussels? https://www.thelocal.fr/20240610/european-elections-what-happens-next-in-brussels-after-shock-results Mon, 10 Jun 2024 20:03:17 +0200 european-elections-what-happens-next-in-brussels-after-shock-results President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday night that he had dissolved the French parliament and called fresh legislative elections, after suffering a heavy defeat in the European elections. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240609/breaking-macron-dissolves-french-parliament-and-calls-elections-after-big-eu-vote-defeat Sun, 09 Jun 2024 23:18:22 +0200 breaking-macron-dissolves-french-parliament-and-calls-elections-after-big-eu-vote-defeat In a surprise move, French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday evening called snap parliamentary elections after his centrist group suffered a heavy defeat in the EU vote. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240609/what-do-snap-parliamentary-elections-mean-for-france Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:26:51 +0200 what-do-snap-parliamentary-elections-mean-for-france The French far-right National Rally (RN) Sunday inflicted a heavy defeat on President Emmanuel Macron's camp in EU elections, scoring over double the number of votes of the head of state's centrist alliance, projections indicated. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240609/french-far-right-inflicts-big-defeat-on-macron-alliance-in-eu-polls-projections-show Sun, 09 Jun 2024 22:34:30 +0200 french-far-right-inflicts-big-defeat-on-macron-alliance-in-eu-polls-projections-show Prior to the 2024 Olympic Games, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had 'no doubt' the country had been targeted by Russian disinformation campaigns. The Local looks at the severity of Russian interference in France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240604/analysis-how-serious-is-russian-interference-and-disinformation-in-france Tue, 04 Jun 2024 17:39:19 +0200 analysis-how-serious-is-russian-interference-and-disinformation-in-france All polling suggests that Emmanuel Macron's party is heading for a humiliating defeat in Sunday's European elections - so what next? John Lichfield examines the options for France, and the likelihood of fresh elections being called. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240605/analysis-what-next-for-france-after-macrons-likely-european-election-humiliation Wed, 05 Jun 2024 11:21:58 +0200 analysis-what-next-for-france-after-macrons-likely-european-election-humiliation With Europeans heading to the polls for the EU-wide parliament elections, it's a good time to remind ourselves of how the bloc has changed life for consumers. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240607/free-roaming-and-flight-compensation-what-has-the-eu-ever-done-for-you Fri, 07 Jun 2024 14:00:27 +0200 free-roaming-and-flight-compensation-what-has-the-eu-ever-done-for-you Two roads remained blocked in south-west France and north-east Spain on Tuesday morning, after farmers protested ahead of the European elections along several crossing points at the border on Monday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240603/french-and-spanish-farmers-blockade-roads-ahead-of-european-elections Mon, 03 Jun 2024 11:32:22 +0200 french-and-spanish-farmers-blockade-roads-ahead-of-european-elections France's government on Monday faced two motions of no confidence - albeit with little chance of passing - as political temperatures rise ahead of Sunday's European Parliament election. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240603/french-government-faces-confidence-votes-ahead-of-eu-election Mon, 03 Jun 2024 13:38:53 +0200 french-government-faces-confidence-votes-ahead-of-eu-election France's far-right Rassemblement National holds a commanding lead in voting intentions for the coming European Parliament elections, according to an opinion poll published on Sunday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240603/french-far-right-has-big-lead-over-macronists-in-european-election-polls-show Mon, 03 Jun 2024 10:44:11 +0200 french-far-right-has-big-lead-over-macronists-in-european-election-polls-show The centre-left Raphaël Glucksmann, running an unexpectedly successful European election campaign is being spoken of as France's answer to Keir Starmer - can he really succeed? https://www.thelocal.fr/20240530/opinion-will-the-french-keir-starmer-save-the-country-from-the-far-right-i-doubt-it Thu, 30 May 2024 12:39:41 +0200 opinion-will-the-french-keir-starmer-save-the-country-from-the-far-right-i-doubt-it Ahead of the European elections in June, we explain why MEPs and their staff shuttle between Brussels and Strasbourg several times a year, and why the French city was chosen as an EU seat. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240531/why-does-the-european-parliament-move-between-strasbourg-and-brussels Fri, 31 May 2024 17:26:10 +0200 why-does-the-european-parliament-move-between-strasbourg-and-brussels From June 6th to 9th, millions of people across Europe will go to the polls to elect members of the world's only multinational parliament. So what's at stake and how do the elections work? https://www.thelocal.fr/20240530/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-european-parliamentary-elections Thu, 30 May 2024 18:01:20 +0200 10-things-you-should-know-about-the-european-parliamentary-elections France's prime minister on Thursday warned the French against casting votes for the far right in next month's European elections, saying they risked becoming like Brits who backed Brexit only to have second thoughts when it was too late. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240530/dont-be-like-brits-who-cried-after-brexit-warns-french-prime-minister Thu, 30 May 2024 16:07:37 +0200 dont-be-like-brits-who-cried-after-brexit-warns-french-prime-minister Investigators on Wednesday were searching the home and offices of an EU parliament staffer as part of a probe into suspected Russian interference and corruption, the Belgian state prosecutor's office said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240529/police-search-european-parliament-over-possible-russian-meddling Wed, 29 May 2024 16:06:59 +0200 police-search-european-parliament-over-possible-russian-meddling Villages, towns and cities across France have suddenly sprouted a number of large temporary metal billboards - but what are they, where did they come from and what happens next? https://www.thelocal.fr/20210602/explained-the-very-precise-rules-of-french-election-billboards Wed, 02 Jun 2021 17:54:14 +0200 explained-the-very-precise-rules-of-french-election-billboards Political news is set to fill a lot of the French news agenda over the coming weeks and you’ll hear a lot of talk about lists and 'têtes de liste' – but what do they mean, and what are the elections all about anyway? https://www.thelocal.fr/20240521/european-elections-what-are-frances-tetes-de-liste Tue, 21 May 2024 17:57:50 +0200 european-elections-what-are-frances-tetes-de-liste Here are five key figures about the European Union, which elects its new lawmakers from June 6-9: https://www.thelocal.fr/20240509/european-elections-the-5-numbers-you-need-to-understand-the-eu Thu, 09 May 2024 11:22:43 +0200 european-elections-the-5-numbers-you-need-to-understand-the-eu