Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The French electorate overwhelmingly rejects the EU Constitution; the suburbs sur-
rounding Paris are wracked by rioting youths.
2007
Pro-American pragmatist Nicolas Sarkozy, Interior Minister under Chirac, beats So-
cialist candidate Ségolène Royal to become France's new president.
2010
Countrywide strikes and protests briefly paralyse the country after the government
announces plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 years.
2011
The controversial French parliamentary ban on burkas in public comes into effect in
April; Muslim women wearing the Islamic face-covering veil risk a fine.
2011
Former president Jacques Chirac is found guilty of diverting public funds while serving
as mayor of Paris; he gets a suspended prison sentence.
2012
France loses its top AAA credit rating. Economic policy becomes a campaign issue in
the run-up to the 2012 presidential elections in late April.
2012
Socialist candidate François Hollande beats Nicolas Sarkozy to become France's new
president but his popularity is short lived.
2014
Spanish-born Anne Hidalgo becomes the first female mayor of Paris after defeating
Sarkozy protégé Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.
