French Politiques for an Anglophone Audience
On June 29th, the day before the Parisian Gay Pride parade, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that “the right to marry and adopt for all would be established during the five years of the presidency.” The date still needs to be specified. Unlike several other European countries, France has not yet accepted gay marriage. As the President […]
Spain and Italy dominated more than just the soccer field this week. At the European Summit in Brussels, European leaders negotiated the economic fate of the Euro Zone and future plans to tackle issues of rising debt and unstable markets. Mario Monti and Mariano Rajoy, the Italian and Spanish Prime Ministers respectively, exerted more pressure […]
“Pantouflage” is the word used to describe when a former senior civil servant moves into the private sector. This phenomenon raises ethical problems since the private and public spheres are becoming more and more mixed. In fact, many people who are doing this still have influence in politics, making it tempting to use government policy […]
The Baccalaureate Exam was created in 1808 in France to evaluate, at the end of high school, students’ knowledge that they had gained. It was also intended to ensure that the students were capable of advancing to higher learning. This year’s students are the first to take the Bac after the reform of 2010. Although, […]
On May 26th, the newly elected representatives of the French National Assembly chose their President. For some, this was new and exhilarating, while others made their way back to the benches that had been theirs for years before. After months of intense campaigning, this is an important moment when political forces begin navigating a new […]
During his campaign, François Hollande made education and young people a focus of his electoral platform. Recently, Vincent Peillon, Minister of Education for the government of PM Jean-Marc Ayrault announced a series of small immediate reforms and re-adjustments for the 2012-2013 academic year. According to the government, major education reforms are in the works, as […]
On June 17th, the Left and its leading party, the Parti Socialiste (PS) won the legislative elections, after a series of electoral victories. This came a little over 1 month after the PS also won the Presidential election on May 6. After this crucial and long political period, which has monopolized the attention of the […]
As expected after the legislative elections, the Élysée has announced a slight reorganization of the government this week. Four new people were added: Anne Marie Escoffier was named Minister of Decentralization. She was until now a senator belonging to the radical left party in Aveyron, a small rural department. Her nomination allows for the opening […]
A single European currency is no doubt a technical success in many respects. Its positive effects within the single market are authentic and easy to identify. It put an end for instance, to the debilitating effects of the change crisis between the EU member states. However, with the “Great Recession,” the euro is entering a […]
