Day 3049 (Monday) 13th October 2025

This is Antibes

and this is Monaco.

As always on a Monday here’s What’s happening in France this week. The Local France.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

A big week in French politics begins, a former president learns the date of his prison fate, there’s another strike, and schools break up for two weeks.

Monday

Crime — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will learn the date he has to report to prison to begin his five-year jail term for criminal conspiracy.

Politics — Sébastien Lecornu, at the time of writing the shortest-serving Prime Minister of France’s Fifth Republic, insisted last week that a revised draft budget for 2026 would be presented to the Council of Ministers on Monday — the deadline for the bill to pass Parliament by the end of this year. Given that the French political situation has been changing roughly every 20 minutes recently, we suggest you head to our politics section to find out the latest.

EES - the EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) officially launches on Sunday, October 12th, but will be introduced gradually over the next few months. 

Tools down — Car producer Stellantis will halt production at its Poissy plant for 15 working days from October 13th to 31st, with 2,000 employees placed on short-time working or furlough.

Sport — Football’s World Cup qualifying continues, as Group D rivals Iceland host France in Reykjavik.

Tuesday

Health — The 2025-2026 seasonal flu and Covid-19 vaccination campaign begins on Tuesday, October 14th. Last year, the flu season was particularly intense, with the virus causing almost 30,000 hospitalisations and 5,000 deaths in France, predominantly among elderly people.

Strike — Staff at lycées professionnels (vocational high schools) across France are due to strike in protest against planned reforms to the vocational baccalaureate, which they say will push young people to make premature career choices and lead them into ‘precarious employment’. Demonstrations are planned in several cities, causing significant disruptions at affected establishments, while teacher walkouts are likely to affect classes.

Company results — LVMH, the luxury goods conglomerate owned by the richest man in France, will announce its third-quarter sales after the markets have closed on Tuesday.

Wednesday

Economy — French inflation figures for September are published.

Property taxes — Anyone who pays taxe foncière bills of 300€ or less by cash or cheque must settle their bill by Wednesday, October 15th at the latest. Higher bills must be paid online, for which the deadline to either pay or set up a direct debit is midnight on October 20th. The money will be taken out of your account five days later.

Court — French actor Gérard Depardieu is due in court in Rome, accused of attacking a paparazzi photographer.

Thursday

Gaming — Video game (and, no doubt, future Christmas best-seller) Pokemon Legend: Z-A has its global release in Paris.

Financial aid — Deadline day for filing applications for bourse de collège and bourse de lycée, available to lower income families with children in collège (middle school) or lycée (high school).

These grants must be applied for online via theEduConnect portal by an October 16th deadline. A user guide (in French) is available here for first-time users. If you want to check your eligibility, you can use this simulator for collège students and this simulator for lycée students. 

Friday

Toussaint — A happy day for schoolchildren the length and breadth of France, as schools break up for the Toussaint holidays. Two blissful class-free weeks loom, before they head back on Monday, November 3rd.

French cheese-makers call for UNESCO recognition for Camembert

Camembert cheese stored at the Durand cheese factory, in Camembert, northwestern France. (Photo by LOU BENOIST / AFP)

A group of French cheese enthusiasts known as the 'Confrérie des chevaliers du camembert' are campaigning to have the famous Norman cheese included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.

The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Camembert (Brotherhood of Camembert Knights), based in Vimoutiers in the Orne département, have submitted an application to have this cheese included in the list of traditional skills and practices recognised by the UN agency. 

"We do this above all to protect it and protect its expertise, because Camembert is a true cultural heritage.

"It is certainly one of the most complicated cheeses to make; it looks simple, but it isn't," explained Dominique Vignat, head of the brotherhood, to French media during the Competition for the best real Camembert earlier this year.

First of all, the brotherhood needs to persuade France's culture ministry of their claim, since only countries can nominate items to UNESCO for inclusion on the list. Then it would join many hopeful candidates vying for this global label. 

If the application succeeds, the Camembert would be the first French cheese to be recognised by the UNESCO. It would join other world famous gastronomic heritage, such as the Neapolitan Pizza or Couscous. 

Protecting the real Camembert

The Camembert was created during the late 18th century, around the time of the French Revolution, by Marie Harel, a Norman woman who lived in a village near the town of Camembert. 

The Brotherhood was founded two centuries later, in 1985, to promote Normandy's gastronomy, notably the Véritable Camembert de Normandie (The Real Camembert of Normandy). 

The name of the Camembert cheese is not protected. This means that many brands in France and around the world use it without complying with the very strict specifications of the Protected Designation of Origin (AOP).  

But to be considered 'real' Camembert with the AOP mark, there are many rules to follow. For example, it's made with cow milk, and the herds have to be composed of at least 50 per cent Norman cows. 

The real ones are called Camembert de Normandie and are round, in wooden boxes at the supermarket.

If you're buying square-shaped Camembert, it's likely not made to the traditional recipe. There are currently only 461 milk producers and 4 farmhouse producers that qualify to make real Camembert. 

In French the circular chart depicting percentages - known in English as a 'pie chart' is a camembert.

This was Badger this afternoon, he pulled this pashmina out of its box and settled down on it.