This week we'll find out why pensioners are to blame for all of France's problems, well not quite, but they are perhaps to blame for all the new prime minister's troubles.

We'll also examine some major travel changes for south west France at a time that could spell both bad and good news for residents there.

We'll get to the bottom of a new driving law in France that's finally come into force this week and look at whether days are numbered for France's tourist information centres as the last one in Paris shuts up shop.

We'll also explain why your carte vitale health card might have stopped working and what you can do about it if it does get refused.

Ben McPartland your host is joined on the Talking France dance floor this week by The Local France's Emma Pearson, Gen Mansfield and French politics expert John Lichfield.

Extra reading:

• 15 reasons Clermont-Ferrand is the best place in France
• France legalises motorbikes and scooters weaving through traffic
• EasyJet confirms Toulouse base closure as half of summer flights cancelled
• The alternative travel options to get to south-west France
• Ten reasons to visit France's Auvergne area
• 7 reasons to visit France's 'top city of 2025'
• What you can do if your French 'carte vitale' stops working
• Read more from John Lichfield

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we bring you all the latest on some big changes in France for drivers and look at where in the country you’ll wait the longest for a response from your prefecture. We will of course bring you the latest on the plight of France’s latest government and remind you who the PM is these days.

We also explain the 12 Gallic complaints you’ll need to get through the year in France.

And it’s 10 years since the Charlie Hebdo and HyperCacher supermarket terror attack in Paris. We’ll look at what happened next to the Charlie Hebdo magazine and explain a bit about France’s thirst for satire.

Host Ben McPartland is joined once again by editor Emma Pearson, journalist Gen Mansfield and French politics expert John Lichfield.

Extra reading:

• OPINION: Pensioners, not immigrants, are wrecking France
• OPINION: Sadly, the new year in France won't bring an end to 'la zizanie'
• MAP: The French cities with Crit'Air low emission zones in 2025
• Revealed: The waiting times at French préfectures
• Podcast: How did Jean-Marie Le Pen change France? (from April 2024)
• Quiz: Can you decipher all 12 of these French complaints?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This special episode is dedicated entirely to looking ahead so you know a little about what to expect in France in 2025.

We'll try and answer some of the big questions about what lies ahead. Such as... How many Prime Ministers will France have in 2025? More or less than the 4 it had in 2024? We'll also look at whether there will be more elections this year and more protests and political crises.

We'll look ahead to some big travel changes in Paris, in France and indeed in Europe.

And just as Notre Dame reopens another huge Paris tourist attraction is set to close!

Stay with us and you'll be well prepared for 2025 in France.

Host Ben McPartland is joined underneath mistletoe by our team from The Local France Emma Pearson, Gen Mansfield and politics expert John Lichfield.

To catch up with everything happening in France in 2025 you'll find all our articles under the topic France in 2025.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.