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This week in France: What you need to know

The Local France
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This week in France: What you need to know
A woman gets her pan cleaned as residents make pancakes with a wood fire at Valennes, near Le Mans, north-western France, on February 17, 2021. - Since the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State, the secular traditional event of cooking pancakes on wood fires is organised on Ash Wednesday, a Christian holy day of prayer and fasting. This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the cooking took place in private gardens, and the carnival, that usually takes place at the same time, was cancelled. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)

From the lifting of Covid restrictions to a pancake festival, here's what is happening in France this week that you should know about.

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Monday

Signature chasing - expect to see a lot of mention of parrainage in French media, as presidential candidates can now begin the formal process of collecting signatures to support their election bid. In order to get onto the ballot paper for the 2022 presidential election, candidates need to secure a minimum of 500 signatures from elected French officials such as MPs and mayors. Here's how this system works.

Lelandais trial - the trial begins in Grenoble of former soldier, Nordahl Lelandais, for the murder of eight-year-old Maëlys.

Tuesday

Motorway tolls rise - users of the autoroutes face an increase in toll charges from February 1st. The exact rises vary between areas, but across the country the average rise is two percent.

Crack meeting - A meeting is planned in Paris, organised by the government, to tackle the issue of crack cocaine in Paris.

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Strike at unemployment offices - unions are calling for employees of the Pôle emploi unemployment office to strike in protest over pay and working conditions.

Savings boost - the interest rates on the Livret A savings account will rise from 0.5 percent to 1 percent.

Chinese New Year - festivities begin to mark the Chinese New Year - 2022 is the year of the tiger.

Wednesday 

Lifting of Covid restrictions - this marks the beginning of a two-step lifting of restrictions, with the scrapping of rules on gatherings sizes, outdoor mask-wearing and compulsory work-from-home. The second stage will be on February 16th. 

Calendar: When will France's Covid restrictions be lifted 

La Chandeleur - France's 'pancake day' is on Wednesday, and is basically a festival eating lots of delicious crêpes. If you feel that you might need luck or prosperity for the year ahead, however, there are some crêpe-based rituals that claim to bring that.

Thursday

Demonstration - demonstration in Paris, called by the country's largest union the CFDT, of essential workers, to raise awareness of the rising cost of living.

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Saturday

School holidays - schools in zone B, which encompasses most of northern France but also to Aix-Marseille area, begin their February school holidays. The two-week February holiday varies depending on which one you are in. Zone A holidays run from Saturday, February 12th to Monday, February 28th, Zone B from February 5th to 21st and Zone C February 19th to March 7th.

Sunday

Rugby - France hosts Italy at the Stade de France for the opening weekend of the Six Nations rugby tournament. The restrictions on crowd sizes have been lifted just in time for the game, but other restrictions remain and you will need a vaccine pass to enter the ground.

READ ALSO The Covid rules for watching sport in France

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