Man with a van

Picks up your items in UK & delivers to France for reasonable rates. Email  Paul at   -  pdgeuropean@gmail.com;  

Breath test kits obligatory in cars

DRIVERS will have to carry a breath test kit in their vehicles from next spring as part of new measures by President Sarkozy to cut the roads death toll.

Other measures include 400 new speed cameras, the introduction of new-generation radar units that work from moving police cars and measures to bring in automatic speed reduction systems in cars. The president also said he was looking at creating a national day for road death victims.  See more

http://www.connexionfrance.com/Breath-test-alcohol-driver-Sarkozy-death-toll-speed-camera-13266-view-article.html

 

Healthcare

Health Insurance in France

All residents in France are obliged by law to have health insurance. Most qualify for the state health insurance (sécurité sociale); in local terms, this means affiliating to the CPAM (Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie). Those who do not qualify will have to take out private health insurance. See more http://loire.angloinfo.com/countries/france/healthcare.asp

Pet Travel Rules

UK are relaxing the pet travel rules. From 2012 the six month wait after the rabies jab has been reduced to 21 days and the tick injection has been dropped.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2011/06/30/new-rules-pet-passports/

http://www.thejournal.fr/2011/08/pet-passport-rules-relaxed-in-france

Water Restrictions in your area

http://info.eau-poitou-charentes.org/SAINT-CYR-DES-GATS-85205.html

Secure settings on PC

Heads Up - Facebook has changed and said nothing. Look at your URL (top right box on your screen.) If you see "http" or just "www" instead of "https" you DO NOT have a secure session & can be hacked (frighteningly easily!). Go to Account Settings - Click Security on the left top corner - click Edit next to Secure Browsing, Check box, click Save. FB has automatically set it on the non-secure setting! Do everyone a huge favour, copy & re-post

Selling a 2nd home in France

ANYONE planning to sell a second home in France will have to do their sums again after the tax changes agreed by MPs and the Sénat as part of the government’s austerity plan.

Capital gains tax allowances on secondary residences have been reduced across the board and the tax exemption after 15 full years of ownership has been changed to 30 years so post-sale profits will be hit. In addition, no allowance will be made for inflation.

http://www.connexionfrance.com/CGT-second-home-owners-austerity-tobacco-spirits-13012-view-article.html

 

Moving to France guide

Download our Moving to France guide - FREE until August 31
Are you getting ready to make the move to France? Do you have any unanswered questions? Our 48-page guide is here to help - and it's free to download until the end of this month (normal price €5). Browse through the guide online, download it as a PDF and post your questions in the comment box under any article. We will seek an expert reply - and your questions will help us tailor future editions of the guide to meet your needs. Find out more here...   http://www.moving-france.com/

 

Warning over fake fines website

CONSUMER protection groups have issued a warning about a scam website that claims to let people pay their speeding and parking fines online.
The site, at www.amendes-france.org, asks for the reference number for the fine and your credit or debit card details - but it has nothing to do with the French government.
It appears at the top of Google search result pages for "payer amende" because the site owner has taken out for paid advertising to appear above the official site.
Radio station Europe 1 has traced the site to an individual in Switzerland, who declined to comment. Police have been informed and the website should be taken offline shortly.

The correct site for paying fines online is www.amendes.gouv.

HEALTH COVER

Health cover breakthrough for early retirees in France

EU citizens who move to France before state pension age will finally benefit from state health cover again, it was announced this week. The French government provoked an uproar when it removed access to the CMU (couverture maladie universelle) for early retirees in 2007, requiring them to take out private health insurance instead. The U-turn comes after pressure from the European Commission, which looked at whether the policy contravenes EU rules. More on this story...

http://www.connexionfrance.com/early-retiree-expats-france-state-health-cover-insurance-cmu-europe-circular-12808-view-article.html

BLUES BAND AVAILABLE

FOR PRIVATE PARTIES

TROUBLADOUR

We are a 3 piece acoustic blues & blues influenced music. We play through a PA system, but the music
is basically acoustic (we don't have drums). We play in bars/restaurants & have also played a large amount
of private parties. We can be contacted on the following numbers:-
05 49 64 57 17
05 49 72 81 56
15 49 63 19 36
or blues4u@welcome2france.co.uk

 

HIGHWAY CODE

CYCLISTS and pedestrians have been given new rights over cars in a series of changes to the highway code in France.
The rules, which take immediate effect, mean pedestrians now always have priority over cars when crossing a road. Until now, they had priority only at specially designated crossings.
They need to "show a clear intention to cross" a road - described as "an ostensible step forward or a hand gesture" - and vehicles are required to stop for them. The only exception is where a designated pedestrian crossing is less than 50m away. Drivers who ignore the rules face a fine of €135 or could lose four points from their licence.

http://www.connexionfrance.com/news_articles.php?id=2270

 

SOCIAL SECURITY ADVICE

0145 263341

CPAM FRENCH STATE HEALTH

Friday 09:00-18:00  Tel: 0811 363 646

NO PANIC - FRANCE

Helpline 02 51 28 80 25.
Email: nopanicfrance@orange.fr

EDF

0562 164908

CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK

English speaking helpline 0231 552525

FRANCE TELECOM

English speaking helpline 0969 363900

UK SHOPPING DELIVERED

Whatever you need we can shop for you & deliver to your door.

16.99 up to 30kg - www.weshopbritain4u.com

WHEN SELLING YOUR HOUSE

Detailed information on the obligatory and recommended survey reports needed before you can sell a house or property in France: Energy Performance (DPE), asbestos, lead, gas, termites, foul water drainage; and the Diagnostic Immobilier who can help.

http://loire.angloinfo.com/countries/france/diagnostics.asp

The Nattering Network = Réseau Papot’age

Offering English Speaking Visits and Conversation

Would YOU like to Help?

For all of us who come to live in France moving carries with it the risk of a certain degree of isolation. We are leaving behind friends and some of our family and then trying to make new friends, some who speak a different language and have cultural traditions with which we are unfamiliar. This does not make it easy to gather a new group of people around us. Getting older tends to make this even more difficult and losing partners, suffering health problems, maybe financial hardships too, all contribute to possible growing isolation and loneliness.

In 2009 and 2010, the Pays de Gatine organised meetings (during ‘La Semaine

Bleue’) to inform the English speaking population aged 60+ and living in the

Gâtine about how they could get help, if and when needed. We know from these meetings and from our other contacts that there are English speaking people who are lonely and isolated and would love to be visited. Some are in nursing homes, some in hospitals and some at home.

This is why we have decided to try to create a ‘Nattering Network’. To do so we have been in contact with the local French office, CLIC who organise services for the elderly with their association ‘Gérontologique de Gâtine’. Under the umbrella of the MSA (Mutualité Sociale Agricole) they have already set up a ‘Papot’age’ network which visits French people who are lonely. They have a clear set of ground rules for the visited and the visitor both to sign and they offer training courses as well as support for visiting volunteers.

With their help and co-operation we are setting up a British network. This will mean we have the backing of the French social welfare offices and they will notify us if they come across people who would benefit from receiving visits; they will also promote these English speaking services. Now we need volunteers........

Would YOU like to volunteer to be a visitor?

The visits would purely be on the basis of a ‘chat’, to listen and to spend time with the person and not to do chores (as other services cover these needs).

Although the demand may not be very big at the moment, perhaps it will grow in the future. It would simply mean giving up a small amount of your time and after initial training, befriending and chatting with an English speaking person who would benefit from your companionship

Interested? To find out more, please contact : julia.salvat@gatine.org