Americanexpatinfrance's Blog

In this month’s My American Market‘s newsletter, I interview a veteran expat, John Fonseca, on his advice for getting American TV programs in France. Very informative, indeed. Merci, John!

You can download this month’s edition on the MyAM website

Or here as a file I saved for download. My article is on pages 6-7, but good reading can be had throughout the issue.

Well, after the Sep 7 strikes, the unions have called for another day of protests in order to get the government to cede some more territory in the reform on pensions and retirement. But Sarkozy has vowed to not budge on the key issue – raising the age from 60 to 62 for retirement and from 65 to 67 for full pension access. As Labor Minister Eric Woerth was quoted by Reuters:

“We haven’t changed. We are very firm on the core of the reform, which is (the retirement) age.”
The government says the legislation is essential to erase a growing deficit in the pay-as-you-go pension system, curb rising public debt and preserve France’s coveted AAA credit ratings, which enables it to borrow at the lowest market rates…”If you don’t reform it, it simply won’t be viable and we won’t be able to pay French people’s pensions,” Woerth said.

This is turning out to be quite a fierce battle, and even though Sarkozy has been speaking around the country showing some concessionary measures (for arduous jobs like firemen and policemen, and taking into account the situations of working mothers), the core of the reform is on the table. It has been adopted by the National Assembly and is awaiting approval in the Senate.

So the unions are once again preparing for a day of “action” and even speaking about strikes in early October possibly touching weekend traffic. That’s just great. This is like protesting against the force of gravity and economic common sense. The unions are like little whining children. Let the adults do the work. Tomorrow’s strike will affect schools, the post office, some banks but especially public transport systems around the country.

RATP, the Parisian region transport authority, has posted updates for tomorrow’s traffic here. SNCF, the national railway operator, has posted information as well here. You can find information for other metro areas transport below, mostly in French. Le Figaro presents a great special report on the retirement reform here.

Other major cities and their transport systems below with relevant updates:
Lyon, Grenoble, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Lille, Nice, Nantes, Rennes, Dijon, Brest, Caen, La Rochelle, Le Havre, Montpellier

With all of these disruptions, what you are planning on doing? Luckily in Paris, there will be 75% traffic on buses, so I’ll be OK. But for those opting for the Velib bike rental system in Paris, here is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at how Velib has been preparing for a day where they see a significant increase in bike usage (20-30% more on Sep. 7 than normal days, over 130,000 rentals per day).

UPDATE FROM BBC:

The walkouts are expected to hit transport the hardest. Only one in two trains will be running nationally and disruptions to services had already begun on Wednesday night….About half of flights at Paris Orly are to be cancelled, as well as 40% at the capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport, and 40% at other airports throughout the country, said the DGAC civil aviation authority…

….The pension reform bill has already been passed by France’s lower house of parliament. It will be debated from 5 October by the upper house, the Senate, where it is expected to pass comfortably.

France’s retirement age is lower than many countries in Europe. Under current rules, both men and women in France can retire at 60, providing they have paid social security contributions for 40.5 years – although they are not entitled to a full pension until they are 65.

The government says it will save 70bn euros (£58bn) by raising the retirement age to 62 by 2018, the qualification to 41.5 years, and the pension age to 67.

Unions and opposition politicians say the plan puts an unfair burden on workers, particularly women, part-timers and the former unemployed who might struggle to hit the 41.5 year requirement….

I recently learned about a program that organizes intensive French programs in a range of cities – Paris, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Perpignan, Montpellier, Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg – for foreign students looking to master French while learning more about the country and its rich culture in person.

My French Class offers an all-inclusive package (accommodation, university classes and registration, visits in Europe, administrative procedures…) to facilitate the experience for students. You can learn more on their website (www.my-french-class.com) and especially the FAQ section.

If you are interested in signing up for summer, semester or year programs, you can get a discount with the code below AEIF. Make sure to send me an email as well: michaelbarrett1984@gmail.com.

If you are interested in this program, mention AEIF discount code and send me an email michaelbarrett1984@gmail.com

“Parlez-vous français?” My French Class is a service for foreign students wishing to learn French in France. Our mission is to facilitate your integration into French culture, life and language through our network of partner universities.

Year-round intensive French courses are focused on dramatically improving written and oral comprehension and expression, vocabulary, writing, grammar and pronunciation. Taught by native French citizens, the coursework is specifically designed for foreigners to learn the language and implement it their day-to-day life in France.

My French Class provides a complete package that begins on your first day with an airport pick up and includes housing accommodations, a city tour, a French cell phone, visa assistance, practical guide and more! With support from the beginning to the end of your stay in France, you can just relax and enjoy your experience — we take care of the rest!

This interesting New York Times piece touches on differences between the U.S. and EU legal systems governing privacy laws and what they imply for cloud computing – infrastructure storing data, files, documents, etc..online to make sharing information more accessible and flexible and cost efficient. You may think of Google Docs, for example, as a popular form of cloud computing. I’ve seen French concern, for example, over privacy issues, as privacy is considered similar to a human right, whereas in the U.S. it’s more of a consumer issue.

I’m personally in favor of efficiency and the exchange of information, though I understand concerns about companies getting too much access to private information for their benefit.

Excerpts:

“…Global sales of cloud services are poised nearly to double by 2012, to $102.1 billion, Gartner estimates. But Europe is expected to remain a relatively modest user of cloud services, accounting for only $18 billion this year, or about 26 percent of the global total. By 2012, Gartner estimates, Europe’s proportion of global cloud sales will rise to 29 percent, even though the bloc’s economy is larger than that of the United States.

Facing legal obstacles in Europe, the U.S. businesses with the greatest stake in cloud computing — primarily Microsoft, Google, H.P. and Oracle — are lobbying lawmakers to loosen restrictions on cross-border data transfers. Alternatively, some are developing new methods to make cloud computing work within Europe’s complicated legal landscape….In Europe, the legal definition of what constitutes personal data is much broader than it is in the United States, extending to information like names, addresses and phone numbers in phone books….”

I encourage you to sign up for the free newsletter from American Clubs. You can email them at contact@theamericanclubs.com to get on the list.

To give you a taste of what events are on schedule for September and October (in Angers, Biarritz, Lyon, Grenoble, Paris…), you can download this PDF file I put together of its latest newsletter.

cheers,
Michael

Hi everyone,

I just want to let you know I’m also going to be contributing news to a great site called Bonjour Paris.

You can see my first post here about Sarkozy and the unions, and my biography here.

Karen Fawcett, the founder of Bonjour Paris, has an insightful piece here about “observing the French”.

I think Bonjour Paris is a good resource, so be sure to check it out in addition to my blog. After all, the internet and social media are all about exchange!

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has fanned controversy at the EU Summit this week by defending the Roma deportations amidst opposition to France’s actions by other European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. As BBC states:

During the summit, Mr Sarkozy clashed with the European Commission over the matter of Roma deportations.

Since August, France has dismantled about 200 Roma settlements and deported about 1,000 of their inhabitants to Romania and Bulgaria. It has also evicted French nationals from illegal traveller settlements.

Earlier this week, the EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding had appeared to compare France’s actions to persecutions in Nazi-occupied France.

“The disgusting and shameful words that were used – World War II, the evocation of the Jews – was something that shocked us deeply,” Mr Sarkozy said.

He then went on to have a heated exchange with the EU Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso.

This is an unprecedented row between Brussels and Paris, our correspondent says.

The American Clubs newsletter is free and gives you news on events around France. You don’t have to be American! You can contact them here:
contact@theamericanclubs.com

In fact there are so many events going on, they are too numerous to list, so sign up for the newsletter!

cheers, Michael

The Foreign Policy Association (FPA) has always been a favorite resource of mine for foreign affairs news, events and job searches. For those living in New York City, FPA is offering seminars and courses as part of its “university” program.

They will cover getting jobs in the Foreign Service (International Diplomacy), as a Foreign Correspondent, in International Development, Global Finance and other topics. Registration can be completed at the link above. A related seminar is Sep. 20 on “Working around the world”:

Do your career ambitions lie beyond U.S. borders? Working overseas can be an exciting adventure, but finding the right international opportunity can be a challenging undertaking.

This seminar will illuminate a broad array of career paths available to Americans around the world.

In this course you will learn:

About the various kinds of international jobs available in the public, private and non-governmental sectors
Which companies, organizations and government departments are currently recruiting new talent
Tips on adjusting to living and working in another country or culture
Logistical pointers on obtaining visas and meeting tax requirements
What to expect from an international employer

Who should take this seminar?

Students preparing or considering international careers
Young professionals considering international careers

Why am I posting this? I know that many of my readers are interested in foreign affairs, living abroad and career opportunities as expats. These seminars could provide some valuable content for those looking to learn more about international careers. You can find some job and internship possibilities at the FPA Job Board too. Bon courage to everyone!

How did you do? For me, Paris metro 7 line was doable, but the 3 in Paris this morning was rough. I got off at an unpopular stop (Malesherbes) for my meeting, so I was a bit unpopular as I was against the opposite doors. Ah well, c’est la vie.

(Thibault Camus/Associated Press) Commuters at the Saint Lazare train station in Paris on Tuesday morning.

Le Figaro features some interesting pieces:
-how unions and police estimate demonstrators (2.5 v 1.12 million).
-unions warning there will be more strikes (surprise, surprise. What clowns).
-what was motivating strikers

Foreign press:
The Economist
BBC with video
New York Times

Excerpt:

…The pension problem in France is real. If unchanged, the number of pensioners will rise 47 percent between now and 2050. The French state pension system today is running a deficit of $14 billion; by 2050, it will be $131 billion, about 2.6 percent of projected economic output.

The change from 60 to 62 for a minimum pension will not solve all of the problems, and already represents a political compromise by Mr. Sarkozy.

But he must also find other savings in the budget, which this year has a deficit of 8 percent of gross domestic product. He has promised European allies — and the investors in the bond markets — to reduce that to 6 percent next year and to 3 percent by 2013, which leaves many economists skeptical that he can do it without raising taxes. Another Sarkozy reform, to eliminate a level of regional government in the bureaucrat-heavy French state, has been shelved for now in the face of opposition from the Socialists, who dominate local government….