Letters and comment

Comment: France needs strong hand to navigate Trump's tariffs

Columnist Simon Heffer looks at the effect the brewing trade war may have on France

'I fear France may not welcome Americans due to anti-Trump sentiment'

Columnist Cynthia Spillman offers advice on testing the waters before a big move

‘Devastated!’ Listeners in France respond to loss of BBC Sounds

Many readers have shared their frustration at the loss of the app

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Letters: BBC downsizing will hurt listeners in France

Reader says little information is available about the broadcaster's plans to shut down its Sounds app and website in the Spring

Comment: French restaurants still do not get the idea of serving vegetables

Columnist and vegetarian Sarah Beattie looks at the slow progress of non-meat options

Letters: I took French driving test at 63 rather than swap my UK licence

Connexion reader says it cost €530 in total

Letters: French driving theory tests are too hard for older drivers

Connexion reader says they are designed as a hurdle for younger drivers

Letters: Waste collection in France needs a rethink

Connexion reader says the complex system means rubbish builds up and dogs attack the bins

'I am too afraid to drive in France - it feels like the wrong side of the road'

Columnist Cynthia Spillman gives her advice on acclimatising to French roads and motorways

Comment: Nesting swallows have become a pest at my French home

Columnist Samantha David is irked but the birds enjoy protected status

Letters: ETA online link for people transiting through UK to or from France

It is recommended to use the app to get an electronic travel authorisation - but this reader managed to apply without it

Comment: France's rural entertainment is real, raw and - usually - outstanding

Local theatre is still the beating heart of the community in many French towns

Letters: Postal delays meant Christmas cards took five weeks to reach France

Readers complain of gifts arriving well into the new year

Letters: French is a hard language - even for native speakers

Reader recounts his struggle to find access to more modern teaching methods

Letters: Our names always raise a smile in France

Readers share their anecdotes about adapting their names to French

Letters: France needs immigration to sustain its tax revenue

Reader argues that the country's aging population creates an unbalanced economy

Letters: Age should not be an obstacle for adopting a pet dog in France

Reader says over-70s need to be given the chance to take care of dogs who have no home

French visas and residency card applications: Connexion readers share their experiences

The complex process is a challenge for many - including Britons, Americans and second-home owners

Comment: Uproar over Indian journalist reveals French approach to power

Prominent news anchor Palki Sharma Upadhyay 'dared' tell the president his video on AI was 'not funny'

Comment: France's far-left leader is an increasingly pointless political dinosaur

Columnist Simon Heffer looks at how the veteran leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon has split his own party

'We're fed up of visitors staying too long at our home in France'

Columnist Cynthia Spillman gives her advice on setting boundaries for guests

Comment: The last thing France needs is a debate on national identity

Columnist Nabila Ramdani notes the right-wing turn of Prime Minister François Bayrou's government

Has skiing in France become more dangerous? Connexion readers respond

Many wrote in after a recent article and letter about problem skiers

Letters: French food is unseasoned and bland, bland, bland

Connexion reader says it is one of the few disappointing things about living in France

Letters: French authorities do nothing about dangerous dogs

Connexion reader says the response by gendarmes was disappointing

Letters: France should ban harmful oils to curb obesity

Connexion reader says working people do not have the time to cook healthy food

'I feel sorry for all the stray cats in my French village'

Columnist Cynthia Spillman gives her advice on what to do with abandoned - or feral - felines

Letters: Out-of-control youths are ruining French ski slopes

Connexion reader says the issue of dangerous skiers is becoming more and more serious on the piste

Letters: French food is fine but lacks spice

Connexion readers say they struggle to find decent salsa in France

Letters: 'We cannot treat an injured fox due to French wildlife rules’, claims vet

Connexion reader says the vet refused to treat the animal 'to prevent the spread of diseases'

Letters: The French advice to wear the same t-shirt for days is quite right

Connexion reader says people should wash clothes less often to help save water

Comment: The word bacon comes from Old French - so why is it so hard to find?

For columnist Sarah Henshaw the pork product represents a profound cultural divide

Help! We are surrounded by English people in France

Columnist Cynthia Spillman gives her advice on how to feel more 'French'

Letters: French translation apps are ridiculous, but AI can do the job… sometimes

Readers share their disappointment with automatic translation

Letters: French sliced bread is clearly inferior for sandwiches

Readers spar over France's sugary sliced bread being too sweet and whether the UK version is superior

Letters: Here is a cheap way for second-home owners to get internet in France

Connexion reader suggests a flexible and cost-effective alternative to a fixed contract

Letters: I was a victim of number plate fraud in France - twice

A Connexion reader gives advice on how to appeal against unjustified fines

Letters: A bande dessinée helped me understand a serious issue in France

Reader shows how the French culture of graphic novels is useful as well as enjoyable

Comment: Forget the sales - get your bargains elsewhere in France

Columnist Samantha David notes that savings can continue even though the January sales are ending

Letters: Ski resorts disfigure France's breathtaking mountains

Connexion readers share contrasting views on the winter sports industry

Letters: French people struggle to say my name - or translate it

Connexion readers share their anecdotes of cross-cultural confusion

Letters: French recycling rules just lead to more waste

Connexion readers say the system pollutes communes and attracts vermin

Letters: A tontine clause may ease inheritance fears in France

Connexion reader suggests a way of avoiding complications over the transfer of an estate

Letters: We can live comfortably in France on €15,000 a year- in a city with no car

Connexion readers share the annual budget they need to enjoy their retirement

Comment: Spat between France and Algeria opens old wounds

Columnist Nabila Ramdani tells how tempers between the countries flared after the arrest of a TikTok influencer

Letters: France needs more immigration to help its ageing population

Connexion reader disagrees with Simon Heffer calling it a problem

Comment: Jean-Marie Le Pen’s death will further detoxify Marine’s politics – but not completely

Columnist Simon Heffer looks at how the former leader's party has changed since 2007

Letters: France is getting better at providing vegetarian options

Connexion readers say that a cultural shift is underway - but progress takes time

Letters: Delivery fees make it uneconomical to receive packages in France

Connexion reader says that it is not realistic to declare the value of gifts received from the UK

Letters: French healthcare system means people have to stay informed

Connexion reader notes that the lack of structure in France forces people to access care themselves

Letters: Calls for Macron to resign do not help French politics

Connexion reader says that France should learn from its neighbours in forming coalition governments

Letters: French politics needs to veer right to cut costs

Connexion reader says that France can reverse its fortunes by following the example of the United States

Letters: Readers share their French language howlers

Malapropisms, word-for-word translations and false friends are often greeted with a chuckle

Letters: Reporting dangerous dogs is surprisingly effective in France

Connexion reader says the anonymous online form helped ease her concerns

Letters: Long-stay visas in France ‘are not as easy as minister claimed’

Senator Berthet is asking for a simplified visa process for British second-home owners in France

'My wife has learned French but I am struggling - and reliant on her'

Columnist Cynthia Spillman gives her advice on how to develop language skills

Letters: Saying bonjour really makes life easier in France

Connexion reader shares their experience of how a polite greeting can go a long way

Letters: Cold-callers are out of control in France

Connexion readers share their tips on how to reduce telemarketing calls

Comment: France's recycling rules are impossible

Columnist Samantha David recounts her struggles with the ever more byzantine system

Comment: Speaking French makes us do what we are told

Columnist Sarah Henshaw looks at 'the foreign language effect' and how it makes non-native speakers more pliable

Comment: Macron's Grand Débat for French 'yellow vest' protests was pointless

Columnist Nick Inman considers the outcome of France's national debate over the gilet jaune demonstrations

Letters: Retirement in France costs more than €15,000 a year

Connexion reader says she spends €50,000 for a modest lifestyle

Comment: The trial of Brigitte Macron's French internet trolls just encourages them

Columnist Nabila Ramdani says France's First Lady should not take them so seriously

Comment: France's only way forward is for President Macron to resign

Political commentator Simon Heffer questions the merit of appointing a PM who is doomed to fail

Letters: Readers give their solutions to the problem of hybrid cars and spare wheels in France

Many vehicles do not carry a spare in case of a blowout

Letters: This photo tip makes it easier to renew UK passports in France

A Connexion reader shares how to make renewing a UK passport more straightforward

Letters: Sliced bread is simply too sweet in France

Connexion reader says that UK bread is far ahead of its French equivalent

Letters: Are French disabled badges not valid in UK?

One reader has issues when visiting a UK airport, while another has had no such problems

Letters: French rail fines are so severe even for honest mistakes

Connexion reader says his relatives have been put off visiting France

Letters: How are hybrid cars supposed to carry a spare tyre in France?

Connexion reader says electric vehicles simply do not have enough space

Letters: The rules for organising a garage sale in France are ludicrous

Connexion reader says the system stifles creativity with excessive taxes and charges

Letters: Stop complaining about French bureaucracy after voting for Brexit

Connexion reader says Britons have only themselves to blame

Letters: Vegetarians need to appreciate French food culture

Connexion readers share their experiences of meat-free restaurants in France

Letters: French ski resorts always struggle outside of ski season

Readers spar over the apparent demise of winter resorts in France

Letters: The number of cold calls to French phone is maddening

Connexion readers say that measures to prevent them are not effective