Currents events in France
The Current events in France section contains articles on current events in France, thereby promoting France and improving readers’ knowledge of the country. These articles, often accompanied by a visual aid, are written by professional journalists and address various topics such as science and technology, culture, society, economy, institutions, etc. The articles and illustrations are copyright free. Nevertheless, a credit or source identification is mandatory for photographs. Using the
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1- France : the world leader for tourism
France is still the most visited country in the world with almost 82 million foreign tourists. The importance of tourism chiefly lies in the great diversity of natural sites, the beauty of landscapes, the (read...)
MuCEM, a cultural bridge across the Mediterranean
The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MuCEM), a flagship project of the Marseille-Provence 2013 European Capital of Culture operation, has opened its doors to the (read...)
The 100th Tour de France
After the French Open, the Tour de France has been the sporting event of the year for 110 years. For this 100th competition, the organizers decided to highlight the monuments and landscapes of France seen from the (read...)
The Paris Air Show : a showroom for the aerospace industry
From 17 to 23 June, the aerospace industry is in the spotlight in the aisles of the Paris Air Show. More than 2160 exhibitors from 44 countries will share 54,000m² of stands and 43,000m² of outdoor (read...)
Futur-en-Seine Paris : a festival of digital innovations
From 13 to 23 June, the French capital will become a hub for designers, manufacturers, start-ups and experts from around the world in order to share information on digital (read...)
Roland Garros: Where French charm and clay-court tennis meet
From 21 May to 9 June, the world’s top tennis players will battle it out for the title of French Open champion at Roland Garros in Paris.
1st May, the Fête du Travail in France
Today is Labor Day in France and La Fête du Muguet! the tradition is to give the ones you love a little bouquet of lily-of-the-valley, for good luck!
Inventors compete at the Concours Lépine of the Foire de Paris
Paris will host the traditional Foire de Paris, an exceptional event that brings together exhibitions for the general public, including the famous Concours Lépine, the Oscars’ equivalent for (read...)
Mad about French wines and spirits !
2012 was a vintage year for French wines and spirits internationally. Sales grew and foreigners invested in France’s vineyards.
Pharmagora, a showcase for French pharmacies
Every day four million French people visit one of the country’s 23,000 pharmacies for a medical prescription or just for some advice. A success that means the pharmacist has to adapt constantly to a changing (read...)
Bread, cakes and pastries “made in France” !
Bread, cakes and pastries naturally benefit from the fascination with French culinary art and enjoy an image that reflects refinement, taste and quality.
Notre-Dame de Paris 2013
A leading spiritual centre and the most popular historic monument in France, Notre-Dame de Paris celebrates its 850th anniversary in 2013.
Video games" made in France"
Video games made in France: a sector of excellence. Characterised by a network of innovative businesses, France is pulling into the lead in the video games market.
Mountain regions : a French speciality
The Festival of Mountain Trades, which took place in Chambéry from 15 to 18 November, was one more time the opportunity to showcase French expertise in mountainous environments both in France and for (read...)
Marseille, “European Capital of Culture 2013"
Throughout the year Marseille will be rolling out a programme of unusual cultural events, exhibitions, shows, festivals and more, divided into three major episodes.
The galette des rois, a very French tradition
The galette des rois is a cake traditionally shared at Epiphany, on 6 January.
French toys trade on tradition
Parents today demand safe, high-quality products for their children. A back-to-basics approach that is proving a resounding success for the French manufacturers who specialise in traditional toys, and delighting
The Christmas market: an economic success without borders
Strasbourg is host to France’s biggest and oldest Christmas market, with over two million visitors expected between 24 November and 31 December.
Cosmetic Valley
France possesses the world’s first resource centre in perfumery and cosmetics. More than one in ten cosmetic products currently sold across the world has been produced in Cosmetic (read...)
Global Food Marketplace
Enjoyment and innovation in the aisles of the Global Food Marketplace. Keen cooks and lovers of good food take note!
France takes new initiatives in the fight against AIDS
France is a driving force both in research and in the funding of programmes for access to treatment and screening in the countries of the Global South and is diversifying its operations with original (read...)
Curiosity – a little bit of France on Mars
Never before has France been so closely involved in an international Mars mission.
Towards a French cloud-computing service
It is a market that promises to grow exponentially over the next few years and the French Government has the issue firmly on its agenda.
The Fête de la Musique: a French invention and an export success
French streets have been filled with the sounds of the Fête de la Musique every 21 June for almost 30 years. Over time, the annual summer music festival has become an international event thanks to the dynamism of (read...)
High-speed rail : on track for the future
Public land transport is developing in France and throughout the world. Technological innovations are increasing and French expertise has a well-established reputation.
The FrancEducation Label, a linguistic and diplomatic asset
The first FrancEducation Labels have just been conferred on foreign schools with bilingual francophone departments of genuine excellence (read...)
Paris : the favourite choice for students
Paris has been named the world’s best student city, ahead of London and Boston. Its popularity is not only due to the diversity of courses available and the high standard of teaching: fees and the quality of student (read...)
Big French companies are very busy on the international stage
Big French companies are exhibiting a certain amount of optimism. They are even doing very well internationally.
Archaeology abroad : a scientific and diplomatic strength
These operations provide France with an opportunity to export its know-how.
French museums and their international partners
“All the world’s major museums are in contact with each other, but we are now seeing the same in small museums in Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as a diversification towards Korea, China and South
French SMEs enter the export market
France’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) offer excellent products and services which are well aligned with global demand.
New appetites for French gastronomy
The French art of living celebrated by Unesco, which last year added “the gastronomic meal of the French” to its intangible world heritage list.
Paris heads for the sales
The winter sales in Paris provide an opportunity for a major promotional event. “Soldes by Paris” is now running for the 5th time, starting on 12 January 2011.
The French Global Environment Facility : an original instrument
The Facility was established as a result of the Rio Agreements of 1992.
The Architectes des Bâtiments de France export their know-how
France’s experience in promoting its urban heritage and development has long been recognised at international level.
Douce France, a land loved by so many
First in class among tourist destinations, France has kept its number one position in spite of the downturn caused by the economic crisis.
The French aeronautics sector has the wind in its sails
The French aeronautics sector is doing very well in spite of the crisis. This flagship sector of the economy is continuing to grow…
French expertise travels the world : a flourishing sector
An unsung but very dynamic sector, French expertise is scooping up international invitations to tender in increasing numbers. French public and private agencies generate turnover worth 36 billion euros a year, 11 (read...)
Chopin Year in France
Frédéric Chopin, the great Franco-Polish composer, the bicentenary of whose birth is being widely celebrated this year with a whole range of events.
France TNP2010 : Turning commitments into actions
The next Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference will be held from 3 to 28 May 2010 in New York. It is a major meeting for the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. France is fully (read...)
French Education Abroad
End of classes at the Charles de Gaulle French lycée and the high-spirited pupils spill out of the red-brick building and rush into the London underground. Another 250,000 pupils like them worldwide are taught within (read...)
The Crisis Centre: the Foreign Affairs emergency team
A shock wave runs round the world as soon as a disaster strikes somewhere, as happened in Haiti last January. For the 56 members of the Crisis Centre (Centre de Crise - CDC) of the French Ministry of Foreign and (read...)
Foreign investors: France remains on course
In spite of the economic crisis, France remains attractive to foreign investors, who launched 639 projects in the country in 2009, a slightly higher figure than prior to September 2007. The country’s main assets (read...)
“The World in Paris” with the World Tourism Fair
The Salon mondial du Tourisme – World Tourism Fair – at the Paris Exhibition Centre from 18 to 21 March 2010 will bring together all the key players in French and international (read...)
“France is the country with the best quality of life in the world”
Remarkably, for the fifth consecutive year, France has come top of the list, this time followed by Australia, Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand. Next come Luxembourg, the United States, Belgium, Canada and in (read...)
2010, International Year of Biodiversity: what challenges does France
The United Nations has designated 2010 as International Year of Biodiversity. The aim is to mobilise the international community around the wealth and fragility of biological (read...)
The film “Océans”, a hymn to the world of the sea
After Himalaya and Le peuple migrateur (“The Travelling Birds”), French filmmaker and producer Jacques Perrin explores the undersea world. It involved four years of filming in over 50 locations, and 70 expeditions (read...)
Strasbourg exports its Christmas market
Strasbourg’s Christmas market is as famous as it is colourful and it attracts large numbers of foreign visitors. This year, the concept has been exported as far away as (read...)
Diplomacy at a pencil stroke
Who has never heard of Plantu? Or rather: who has never smiled at one of his cartoons, published daily in the newspaper Le Monde?
Poma, capable cables …
The Grenoble company Poma builds or renovates everything that operates on a cable. Its experience and expertise are highly sought-after in many countries. It is currently starting work on the New York Cable (read...)
The Eiffel Tower, 120 years of success !
Officially inaugurated on 31 March 1889, and opened to the public on 15 May the same year, the Eiffel Tower is celebrating its one hundred and twentieth anniversary. Disparaged in its early days, it has today become (read...)
The secret of the success of French cinema abroad
With 188.82 million cinemagoers in France alone in 2008, French cinema is fit and well at home. It is also having a great deal of success with its exports, attracting an ever-growing audience throughout the world (read...)
Romantic destinations …
St Valentine’s Day on 14 February is regarded in many countries as the festival of lovers, a legacy from our ancestors the Romans (read...)