Later this week, le quatorze juillet (July 14), is la fête nationale française, known in many parts of the world as Bastille Day.

If you are like many francophiles, you may think this day celebrates the storming of the royal prison of la Bastille on July 14, 1789, and you’d be right, but only partly so...

Officially established as la fête nationale (the national holiday) by the French Assemblé in 1880, the festivities do indeed celebrate the storming of the Bastille as the start of the revolution, but perhaps more importantly the 14th is also the anniversary of la Fête de la Fédération (a celebration of the ideals of the French Revolution – la liberté, la fraternité, et l’égalité / liberty, brotherhood, and equality – and of the nation) during which Louis XVI himself (before, of course, famously losing his head later!) and other representatives of the young republic swore an oath to the constitution, promising to uphold the laws of the new nation.

The ceremonies of this first Fête de la Fédération were led by the Marquis de LaFayette (whom Louis XVI had named as commander of the troops in Paris after his return from supporting the American colonists in their recent bids to win independence from the other great European monarchy of the day, Great Britain) and took place on the Champs de mars  (named, not for the month of March, but for the Roman god of battle, Mars [Greek: Ares or Aries]) which is framed today by the Eiffel Tower at one end and Hôtel des Invalides at the other.

As today, the early celebrations of the 14th July involved local dances and military parades. In 1989, year of the bicentennial celebrations, I was lucky enough to spend juillet in Paris and to participate in three days of bals, defilies, feux d’artifices, and more (balls, parades, fireworks).

La nuit du 14 (the night of the 14th), we even went out to a night club after the final fireworks, danced till dawn, and then went back to the Champs-Élysées for le petit-déjeuner au levé du soleil! (breakfast at sunrise).

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

May Day / La Fête du Muguet in France is a public holiday / a jour fériés to celebrate workers rights! in the UK we tend to move public holiday days to the Monday but as with most jour fériés in France they stay on the day the occur. It is also an occasion to present Muguet / Lily of the Valley or dog rose flowers to loved ones, friends and neighbours. The day is also known as La Fête du Travail which never seems to happen in the Cle France Office!

So what do people do?

People in many areas give bouquets of Muguet / Lily of the Valley or dog rose flowers, I knew a friend who would cycle around the village and surrounding villages, in a rural corner of Mayenne, giving out single stem of Muguet to all her friends and take all day doing it!

The custom is particularly common in the area around Paris known as Ile-de-France. Families with children in the rural areas get up very early in the morning and go into the woods to pick Muguet. Individuals and flower stalls in urban areas sell bouquets of Muguet / Lily of the Valley on May 1st if you don't want to go and pick some yourself. There are special regulations that allow people and some companies to sell these flowers on May 1st without paying tax or complying with retail regulations, kerching!

In industrial towns some trade unions use the day to campaign for workers rights. Some people or even large organisations also use the day to campaign for human rights in general or to demonstrate against racism or highlight current social issues. 

Jour fériés:

May 1st is a public holiday. Post offices, banks, stores and other businesses are closed, Cle France remains open in the UK. Outside of tourist areas, restaurants and cafes may be closed. However, some stores in Paris, and other major towns and cities will be open. Public transport service schedules vary depending on where you live and where you want to go to. Parades and demonstrations may cause disruption to traffic in the center of large cities, particularly Paris, Reims, Rennes and Rouen. 

Now for the History Lesson:

King Charles IX of France was presented with Muguet / Lily of the Valley flowers on May 1st 1561. He liked the gift and decided to present Muguet / Lily of the Valley flowers to the ladies of his court each year on May 1st. Around 1900, men started to present a bouquet of flowers to women to express their affection. The flowers are a more general token of appreciation between close friends and family members these days and has not bee turned into a second Valentines day.

The eight-hour working day was officially introduced in France on April 23, 1919, and May 1st became a public holiday. May Day was not observed during World War II. However, May 1st became a public holiday again in 1947 and officially became known as La Fête du Travail (Labor Day) on April 29, 1948. Since then, it has been an occasion to campaign for and celebrate workers' rights.

We know it as just goof old fashioned May Day but, of course, it is also known as Labor Day in other parts of the world.

Symbols:

Muguet / Lily of the Valley and dog rose flowers are symbols of May Day in France.

The Romance: 

Ever since its introduction from Japan to Europe in the Middle Ages (bet you did not know that!) Muguet / Lily of the Valley has been regarded as a lucky charm by the Celtic folks from many countries.

There was also an old European tradition of 'bals de muguet' or Muguet dances; once a year, this was a rare occasion for young singles to meet without having to get parents’ permission. The girls would dress in white and the boys would wear a sprig of muguet as a buttonhole, how very quaint.

From around 1900, it became traditional in France for men to present a bouquet of flowers to their sweethearts to express their love and affection. Nowadays, sadly of course, the romance has drifted out of the tradition and 'Muguet ' flowers are really only given as a general token of appreciation between close friends and family members.

Blog submitted by: Sharon at The French Property Network - Cle France.

New Guide to Living in France - Post Brexit

Now that the UK is outside of the European Union our guide is an important and informative read.

Our popular and helpful 'PDF Guides' are free for you to download.

Essential reading for anyone looking to buy a Holiday Home or Full-Time Home in France in 2021.

Living in France now? then find out what will change.

In the guide we look at how Brits can buy and live in France in 2021 and beyond.

Get Your Free PDF Guide to Living in France - Post Brexit here

Kind regards, 
Sharon Evans 
Founder of Clé France.

The door has reopened for new French social charges claims. If you have sold your French property in 2017 or 2018 it is time to act!

Let me give you a brief summary of the French social charges saga.

Summary

In 2015, France was condemned by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the case law De Ruyter which held that taxation of social charges on French capital income of persons affiliated to a social security system of another Member State of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland was contrary to the EU legal principle of unity of social security legislation.

This judgement was then followed the same year by a decision of the highest French administrative Court The “Conseil d’Etat” which confirmed the ruling of the ECJ. The “De Ruyter” case led to a large number of tax claims against the French Tax Office until the budget 2016 when the French government decided to maintain the taxation of social charges on non-residents despite its controversy by reallocating the proceeds of the social charges into a new category.

However, the French government interpretation that the social levies were a tax rather than a social security contribution was rejected in 2018 by the the Court of Appeal of Nancy which ruled out that the taxation was against EU law. The French government appealed against that decision. However taking into account the ruling of a recent judgement of the ECJ of 14th March 2019, the Highest Administrative Court (« Conseil d’Etat ») upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal.

Time to act !

Therefore, if you were residing in a EU/EEA country other than France or in Switzerland and were registered with the health care system of your home country and paid social charges on the net capital gains when you sold your French property in 2017 or 2018, you can now make a claim. Under French law, any tax claim must be issued before the 31st December of the second year following the year when the tax was paid. If you sold your French property in 2017, you have until the end of 2019 to make a claim. If you sold your French property in 2018, you have until the end of 2020 to make a claim. For those who sold their French property in 2016, it is too late unless you issued a claim before the end of year 2018.

For those who are considering selling their French property in 2019, the good news is that the French government took the lead by deciding in its new tax budget that from the 1st January 2019, non-French residents affiliated to a social security of a EU/EEA social security will no longer have to pay social charges but still be subject to the tax of prélèvement de solidarité (7.5%). For those residing outside the EU/EEA, they will be subject to social charges of 17.2%.

How to claim the social charges?

A tax claim can be issued to the French Tax Office for non-residents or to the tax office where the taxpayer was registered. It must be legally motivated and include all supporting documents establishing the right to claim for a refund of the French social charges.

We have received many enquiries from concerned clients who have seen their tax claim rejected because of poor drafting or lack of evidence.

We therefore recommend that you seek legal advice to ensure that your claim has been correctly drafted and accompanied with the necessary supporting documents.

Our Firm can assist you in claiming back the social charges you have paid. We are very experienced in this area and have successfully claim back social charges for our clients since 2014.

At B&M Law LLP, we will be happy to assist you in recovering the social charges undue levied on the French property you sold.

Please contact Loic Raboteau by visiting his page on this website for a free preliminary assessment of your case and a quotation.

Disclaimer: These articles are for information purposes only and are not intended as legal advice. Professional advice should always be obtained before applying any information to particular circumstances.

For a more personal advice contact Loic today using the form above.

You may also be interested in some of our 'Buying Guides' on the Free Guides Tab Here.

For everything you need to know about French property for sale visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Before we first moved to France we would talk about moving to Paris, but then thought about getting a new job or a move to a city like Bordeaux, if you are going to buy a property in France why not buy one in a wine region?

In France, les vignerons (vintners, or winemakers) sell directly to stores and restaurants in France, as well as for exportation. In The UK and non-major wine production countries, there is a more complicated three-tier system where foreign wine is bought by importers, then distributed, and then sold for retail.

In France, wine is sold not only in wine stores (called les cavistes, which literally means 'cellermen'), but also in grocery stores like Monoprix, Franprix, and Carrefour. In larger grocery stores, there may even be an expert in wine who you can consult about what wines to purchase. However, if you really want specialised advice about wine, your best bet is to go to the caviste.

In Paris, the most well-known chain of wine stores is Nicholas. You’ll see this store in most neighbourhoods. There are also other, individually-owned wine stores that have excellent selections and fair prices.

But, if you are selecting wine on your own, keep the following tips in mind:

1. You won’t find much foreign wine in France, but you will find wine from many French regions you’ve never heard of before. Explore French wine by focusing on a particular region,like Languedoc-Roussillion or Burgundy and then trying different wines from that region to discover which you like the best. When looking at wine labels, keep in mind that 'grand cru' is the highest-quality of vineyard or area in a particular region, followed by 'premier cru' and 'grand vin' is the label each winemaker gives to its best wine.

2. Wine in France is much cheaper than in the UK because it does not go through the three-tier distribution system described above and because it is not as heavily taxed. You can find a decent bottle of wine for under 5 euros and a very good bottle of wine for 10 euros and under. Price does matter, however; if you want to get an enjoyable wine, spring for an 7 or 8 euro bottle of wine rather than one that costs 2 euros or less. Your palate will thank you.

3. If you are in a winemaking region, choose a bottle of wine made in that region. Normally, the wine stores and grocery stores stock more product from their own region and, thus, you will have a larger (and often times better) selection than if you choose wine from a different region.

À votre sante! and drink responsibily!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.