DOCSLIB.ORG

Reproductionresearch

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Reproductionresearch REPRODUCTIONRESEARCH Semen quality trends in French regions are consistent with a global change in environmental exposure Joe¨lle Le Moal, Matthieu Rolland, Sarah Goria, Ve´re`ne Wagner, Perrine De Crouy-Chanel, Annabel Rigou, Jacques De Mouzon1,2 and Dominique Roye`re1 Environmental Health Department, Institut de Veille Sanitaire, 12 Rue du Val d’Osne, 94415 Saint Maurice, France, 1Fivnat, Reproductive Biology Unit, CHU Bretonnneau, 37000 Tours, France and 2Inserm, Reproductive Medicine Unit, Paris-Descartes University, CHU Cochin-Port Royal, 7414 Paris, France Correspondence should be addressed to J Le Moal; Email: [email protected] Abstract A retrospective study carried out recently in a large sample of men, close to the general population, has reported a significant and strong decline in sperm concentration and morphology in the whole of France between 1989 and 2005. We studied these trends within each region of France. Data were obtained from the Fivnat database. The study sample comprised male partners of sterile women in whom both tubes were absent or blocked. They were located at the assisted reproductive technology center. A Bayesian spatio-temporal model with parametric time trends, adjusted for age, was used to model overall time trends for each region. The results show that sperm concentration decreased in almost all regions of France. Among them, Aquitaine showed the highest decrease and Midi-Pyre´ne´es had the lowest average for the whole period. Regarding total motility, most regions showed a slight increase while Bourgogne showed a steep and significant decrease. While considering sperm morphology, there was a decrease in most of the regions. The decrease in Aquitaine and Midi-Pyre´ne´es was stronger when compared with the overall trend. In conclusion, a decrease in sperm concentration and morphology, already shown at the French metropolitan territory level, was observed in most regions of France. This is consistent with a global change in environmental exposure, according to the endocrine disruptor hypothesis especially. Indeed, ubiquitary exposure to chemicals has been growing in the general population of France since the 1950s, and the results do not appear to support the lifestyle hypothesis. The highest decreases and lowest values are consistently observed in two proximate regions that are both highly agricultural and densely populated. Reproduction (2014) 147 567–574 Introduction 26 609 men from the whole metropolitan country between 1989 and 2005. No decrease in motility was Temporal trends in human semen quality have been observed (Rolland et al. 2013). This sample of men discussed for a long time, partly due to spatial close to the general population is, to date, the largest heterogeneity (Jorgensen et al. 2001) and methodo- sample that has ever been used to study semen quality logical issues (Fisch 2008). trends. Recently in France, an overall decrease in sperm These results were consistent with the past studies in concentration and morphology has been observed in France (Auger et al. 1995) and in other countries (Carlsen et al. 1992, Swan et al. 1997) where decreasing temporal This paper forms part of a special issue of Reproduction on Endocrine trends have been observed. These robust results Disrupters. This article was presented at the 7th Copenhagen Workshop regarding temporal trends constitute a serious public on Endocrine Disrupters, 28–31 May 2013. The meeting was supported health warning. The endocrine disruptor hypothesis, by the Danish Ministry of the Environment – Environmental Protection strengthened by accumulating evidence lately (Bergman Agency as an activity under the Danish Centre on Endocrine Disrupters. Publication of this special issue has been supported by the Society for et al. 2012), may partly explain such trends. Changes in Reproduction and Fertility. The opinions or views expressed in this lifestyle are other identified factors (Sharpe 2010). special issue are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect In the previous study, the trends were calculated at the the opinions or recommendations of the Danish Ministry of the level of the whole country, and did not take into account Environment – Environmental Protection Agency or the Society for a possible spatial heterogeneity. Spatial heterogeneity Reproduction and Fertility. The Guest Editors for this special issue were Anna-Maria Andersson, Hanne Frederiksen, Niels Erik Skakkebæk, has previously been observed in France in limited Rigshospitalet, Denmark, Kenneth M Grigor, Western General Hospital, samples (Auger & Jouannet 1997), as well as in Europe Edinburgh, UK and Jorma Toppari, University of Turku, Finland. (Jorgensen et al. 2001) or in USA (Swan et al. 2003), but q 2014 Society for Reproduction and Fertility DOI: 10.1530/REP-13-0499 ISSN 1470–1626 (paper) 1741–7899 (online) Online version via www.reproduction-online.org Downloaded from Bioscientifica.com at 10/02/2021 02:24:39PM via free access 568 J Le Moal and others little is known about the causal factors. The present study spermiogram was studied. The methods used for the measure- aims to analyze spatial patterns in France between 1989 ment of each sperm indicator were not available in the Fivnat and 2005, using the same sample in which the global database. For sperm concentration and motility, French experts trends were calculated, in order to generate possible confirmed that the methods have not changed noticeably consistent hypotheses. during the study period (Rolland et al. 2013). Regarding morphology classification, a majority of the laboratories used David’s classification during the study period (Blanchard et al. 2011). Materials and methods Source and study population Men’s location Data were obtained from the Fivnat database, a national The Fivnat database did not register the couples’ addresses, registry that recorded most of the French-assisted reproductive so the men were located using the address of the ART center technology (ART) attempts during the study period. The study where the attempt was performed. For this reason, the French sample comprised partners of totally infertile women whose metropolitan regions were chosen as the geographical scale for both tubes were either blocked or absent. They had to be the spatio-temporal analyses. We assumed that couples were involved in the first attempt of a standard IVF or ICSI program more likely to attempt ARTs within the regions where they lived. carried out in metropolitan France and registered between 1st In order to check this assumption, we looked at the national January 1989 and 31st December 2005 (Rolland et al. 2013). hospital database in which oocyte retrievals were recorded They also had to provide freshly ejaculated sperm. since 2010. This enabled us to compare the women’s dwelling In theory, couples all over France had equal access to ARTs, locations and the locations of the fertility clinics they attended. as the first four attempts were fully covered by the Health Insurance, and Fivnat centers were set up all over the country (Fig. 1). The attempts were covered identically in public or Statistical analysis private ART centers. We studied the indicators of semen quality that were defined in the national study: concentration, motility, and morphology Measurement methods (Rolland et al. 2013). A Box–Cox transform (Box & Cox 1964) was applied to sperm concentration for the residuals of the Three indicators of semen quality were registered in the Fivnat model to be normally distributed. Data for the three indicators database: sperm concentration (in millions of sperm per of semen quality were aggregated by region and by month. milliliter), total motility (in percentage of motile sperm) and A Gaussian observation model for each semen quality indicator morphology (in percentage of sperm with normal forms). Two was defined. spermiograms per individual were available: the check-up We used the spatio-temporal model introduced by Bernardi- spermiogram, carried out mostly in a town laboratory prior nelli et al.(Bernardinelli et al. 1995, Schro¨dle & Held 2011). To to the attempt, and the attempt spermiogram, carried out in the model data in space and time, a Bayesian model with ART center the day of the attempt. The date for the check-up parametric time trends was proposed. The linear predictor is spermiogram was not available, so only the attempt decomposed additively into components depending on space, time or both. A main linear time trend and a differential time Fivnat centers location trend for each region are added to the spatial component. The age effect was taken into account. The main objective of this Nord-Pas- spatio-temporal model is to show how the slopes are positioned de-Calais in between the regions. Additional details on the model are Haute- Normandie Picardie provided in Supplementary Methods, see section on supple- Basse- mentary data given at the end of this article. The inla program Normandie Lorraine Alsace lle-de- Champagne- and the R package INLA were used (Martino & Rue 2010). Bretagne France Ardenne The slopes and credible intervals for the 21 French Centre Bourgogne metropolitan regions were compared with a null trend and Pays de Franche- la Loire Comté the estimated overall linear trend. In a Bayesian analysis, a 95% Poitou- Limousin credible interval means that the probability of the parameter Charentes Rhône- Alpes to belong to it is 0.95. The slopes were mapped in order to Fivnat centers Auvergne Regional boundaries visualize possible spatial trends. Maps were drawn using Aquitaine Provence- ESRI Basic ArcGIS for Desktop 10.0. Finally, for each indicator, Midi-Pyrénées Alpes-Côte d'Azur the estimated linear trends for the 21 regions were shown to Languedoc- analyze together the slopes and the variations of the values. Roussillon Corse N INSTITUT Km DE VEILLE SANITAIRE Source: IGN-GéoFLA, 2008; FIVNAT, 1989–2005; InVS, 2013. 0 80 160 320 Results Figure 1 Location of Fivnat centers in metropolitan France that provided The number of men included in the study was generally data between 1989 and 2005.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Copil National Région Centre-Val De Loire
    9 novembre CoPil national 2016 Région Centre-Val de Loire SBLAD/DLH SPLS en région Centre-Val de Loire Contexte régional : - Une région couverte par 5 délégations des aides à la pierre et 4 territoires État - 31 Maîtres d’ouvrage recensés sur le territoire - 138 habilitations SPLS - 78 habilitations GALION en DDT (+ habilitations délégataires) Utilisation du portail : - Tous les maître d’ouvrage utilisent le portail pour rentrer leurs opérations, - Sous exploitation, 2 Expérimentation de la dématérialisation Périmètre de l’expérimentation : tous dossiers et toutes demandes d’avance non reçus Délégataires Maîtrises d’ouvrages Services instructeurs - SA Eure-et-Loir Habitat 28 Territoire non délégué DDT 28 - OPH Chartres Habitat - Tour(s)Habitat - La Tourangelle - Nouveau Logis Centre-Limousin Conseil Départemental 37 - SEM Maryse Bastié 37 DDT 37 - Vallogis Valloire-Habitat CA Tour(s)Plus - Immobilière Centre-Loire - ICF Atlantique - Val Touraine Habitat -Touraine Logement 3 Expérimentation de la dématérialisation 10 mai 2016 : Réunion de lancement de l’expérimentation à Tours Mi mai : réalisation des 1ère demandes d’avance Début juin : réalisation des 1er dépôts de dossiers Fin septembre/début octobre : Point intermédiaire régional Janvier 2017 : ouverture à l’ensemble des acteurs Fin janvier 2017 : Réunion bilan de l’expérimentation de la dématérialisation 4 Expérimentation de la dématérialisation Point de situation au 30.09.2016 : Maîtres d’ouvrage : - 2 demandes de financement et 4 demandes d’acompte/paiement dans l’Eure-et-Loir. - 13 demandes de financement et 8 demandes d’acompte/paiement dans l’Indre-et-Loire, Gestionnaires : - 7 instructions de dossiers et 5 demandes d’acompte/paiement dans l’Eure-et-Loir, - 11 instructions de dossiers et 11 demandes d’acompte/paiement dans l’Indre-et-Loire.
    [Show full text]
  • SMART LOIRE VALLEY PROGRAMME FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME* Call for Applications and Guidelines: Campaign 2017
    SMART LOIRE VALLEY PROGRAMME FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME* Call for applications and guidelines: campaign 2017 rd th Thursday 3 November 2016 to Thursday 9 February 2017 (17:00 – CET Paris time) *This project receive funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 665790 “After all, science is essentially international, and it is only through lack of the historical sense that national qualities have been attributed to it.” Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Double Nobel Prize winning Polish-French scientist famed for her work on radioactivity PREAMBLE For the period 2015-2020, LE STUDIUM operates with a co-financing from the European Union in the framework of the Marie-Skłodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) - COFUND (Co-Funding of regional, national and international programmes) for the mobility of experienced researchers. This co-funding instrument increases the number of LE STUDIUM fellowships to be awarded each year. Created in 1996, inspired by the Loire Valley historical, geographical and human cultures, the objective of LE STUDIUM Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies is to create a dynamic outwards-looking international scientific community in region Centre-Val de Loire (France) covering all research disciplines and involvingpublic and private research institutions. One of its principal missions is to attract and welcome experienced international researchers to the laboratories and enterprises of region Centre-Val de Loire. To date, LE STUDIUM has attracted more than
    [Show full text]
  • Contribution Des Prsidents Des Rgions Franaises De
    Contribution of French Regions: Lower Normandy, Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Nord-Pas de Calais and Picardy Traduction of Courtesy As President of the Lower Normandy, Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Nord-Pas de Calais and Picardy regions, we welcome the proposals presented by the European Commission in the conclusions of its 5th report on economic, social and territorial cohesion, which call for the maintenance of an ambitious cohesion policy that concerns all European regions and focuses on the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, provided that these are consistent with the objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesion. We applaud the European Commission’s decision to open the debate on the future of the cohesion policy and, in this respect, we fully support the position taken by the Association of French Regions (ARF), but feel it necessary to elaborate on certain points. Towards a cohesion policy with a clearer and more egalitarian structure for intermediate regions It should be remembered that reducing economic, social and territorial disparities, divisions and inequalities remains a key unifying issue for the EU, and working towards the aims of the Europe 2020 strategy must not involve marginalising certain areas. Alongside a territorial cooperation objective, and as part of a global “cohesion” objective, we would strongly advocate the re-classification of regions into 3 categories, convergence – intermediate – competitiveness, so as to facilitate understanding of future cohesion policy’s structure. As part of this approach, we are calling for the implementation of transitional support for regions which not only complete their convergence process but which also, having made the regional competitiveness and employment objective an integral part of their current programme, remain fragile from a socio-economic point of view.
    [Show full text]
  • Beef Cattle Information
    BEEF CATTLE INFORMATION DID YOU KNOW??? ♦ A 1,000-pound cow produces about 10 tons of manure a year! ♦ The hide from one head of cattle (one animal) can be made into 18 pairs of shoes! ♦ Bulls, or adult male cattle, are required to where a nose ring when they show in the ring. The nose ring helps control the animal. BEEF VOCABULARY bovine -- cattle bull – adult male cattle that may produce young by-products – all products, except for beef, that come from beef cattle calf – cattle less than one year old chute – a stand to hold the animal while it is being groomed cow – female cattle that has produced young draft animals – animals that work for us, doing things such as pulling wagons or pulling plows through the fields. Some cattle (or “oxen”) are raised as draft animals, and some horses, especially draft horses, as raised as draft animals. dual purpose – animals that are raised to be both beef and dairy cattle or beef and draft animals; triple purpose animals are able to serve us in all three ways, providing milk and meat, and pulling heavy loads heifer – young female cattle that has not yet produced a calf pasture – land where animals may graze and forage plants rumen – the first of four compartments in the stomach of cattle ruminate – to re-chew food that has been swallowed once before; it helps digest or process foods such as hay or corn stalks steer – male cattle that has been neutered (like your cat or dog) so it cannot have young veal - meat from a calf less than three months old that has been fed only milk BY-PRODUCTS Almost all of the beef cattle animal is used to make things we need.
    [Show full text]
  • La Nouvelle Organisation Régionale De L'état En
    LA NOUVELLE ORGANISATION RÉGIONALE DE L’ÉTAT EN AQUITAINELIMOUSIN POITOUCHARENTES UNE RÉGION PLEINE D’AVENIR Depuis le 1er janvier 2016 les régions Aquitaine, Limousin et Poitou-Charentes ont fusionné pour former une seule région, la plus vaste de France, qui compte d’innombrables atouts : un riche patrimoine naturel et historique, une forte attractivité, un dynamisme économique incontestable, une grande diversité culturelle. L’organisation régionale de l’État devait s’adapter à cette nouvelle échelle, dans le cadre des arbitrages rendus par le gouvernement en 2015 sur la base des propositions que je lui ai faites : des sièges de directions régionales et des pôles thématiques à compétence régionale sont localisés à Bordeaux, Limoges et Poitiers. Cela garantit l’équilibre territorial dans la répartition des centres de décision et de l’emploi public. L’efficacité et la modernisation de l’action de l’État sont nécessaires à la maîtrise des finances publiques. Dans ce contexte, les fonctionnaires ont témoigné de leur attachement au service public et de leur capacité à s’adapter pour répondre aux attentes des Français. Effective depuis le 1er janvier 2016, elle fait l’objet d’une mise en place progressive d’ici à fin 2018. Je suis heureux de vous présenter cette nouvelle organisation régionale de l’État en Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes, au service de l’intérêt général et de ses habitants. Pierre DARTOUT Préfet de la Région Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes, Préfet de la Zone de Défense et de Sécurité Sud-Ouest, Préfet de la Gironde 1 SOMMAIRE PRÉSENTATION DE LA RÉFORME TERRITORIALE............................................................................................................................................... 5 LOCALISATION DES SIÈGES DES DIRECTIONS RÉGIONALES ET DE LEURS UNITÉS ET DÉLÉGATIONS DÉPARTEMENTALES...................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Les Tonnelleries De Bourgogne
    « The barrel is to the wine, as the earth is to the grapes » Victor de La Chapelle – International Sales Manager Our business since the 1960’s: • Organises the export of its members’ barrels (the BILLON cooperage and the DAMY cooperage). • Help you to choose the right barrel for your wines • Take care of organising the production and logistics • Follow up for your satisfaction Tonnellerie DAMY • Since 1946 • Located in Meursault - Burgundy • Produces 22 000 barrels a year • 35 coopers • 2 Meilleurs ouvriers de France • Managed by Jérôme Damy Tonnellerie BILLON • Since 1947 • Located in Beaune - Burgundy • Produces 8 000 barrels a year • 20 coopers • 3 Meilleurs ouvriers de France • Managed by Vincent Damy Tradition range • A commun offer for 2 differents cooperages, with each their own style: • Type of wood: Acacia or Oak • Origin of Oak: France, Eastern European, US • Origin of oak for the french wood (see next page) • Size of barrel: 57L, 114L, 225L, 228L, 300L, 350L, 400L, 500L, 600L, 700L, 820L, 860L • Galavanized hoops(without color, colored hoops or branded on hoops ; on demand) • Type of toasting: LL, M, ML, M+, H • Toasted head or not • Lazer marking on one or two heads (on demand with logo HR) 16,15 million hectares of french oak forests in France French Oak forests in France 10% of these forests owned by ONF (Office National Forestière) name hectares 80% of the oak to make barrel is coming from ONF 6. 1. Allier 122,000 ha CHAMPAGNE 2. Vosges 280,000 ha 2. ALSACE 8. 7. 3. Jura 180,000 ha 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Euro Medium Term Note Programme 2016.Pdf
    THIS DOCUMENT IS A FREE TRANSLATION OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE “PROSPECTUS DE BASE” DATED THE DATE OF THIS DOCUMENT PREPARED BY REGION ILE-DE-FRANCE. IN THE EVENT OF ANY AMBIGUITY OR CONFLICT BETWEEN CORRESPONDING STATEMENTS OR OTHER ITEMS CONTAINED IN THESE DOCUMENTS, THE RELEVANT STATEMENTS OR ITEMS OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE “PROSPECTUS DE BASE” SHALL PREVAIL. BASE PROSPECTUS Région Ile-de-France Euro 7,000,000,000 Euro Medium Term Note Programme Under the Euro Medium Term Note Programme described in this Base Prospectus (the "Programme"), Région Ile-de-France (the "Issuer" or "Région Ile-de-France"), subject to compliance with all relevant laws, regulations and directives, may from time to time issue Euro Medium Term Notes (the “Notes”). The aggregate nominal amount of Notes outstanding will not at any time exceed Euro 7,000,000,000 (or the equivalent in other currencies). This Base Prospectus supersedes and replaces the Base Prospectus dated 24 March 2015. Application will be made in certain circumstances for Notes issued under the Programme to be admitted to trading on a regulated market of Euronext Paris ("Euronext Paris"). Euronext Paris is a regulated market in the sense of directive 2004/39/EC of 21 April 2004, as amended (a such market being designated as "Regulated Market"). The Notes may also be admitted to trading on another Regulated Market of the European Economic Area or a unregulated market of the European Economic Area or another unregulated market or not be admitted to trading. The relevant Final Terms (as defined in the chapter "Principal characteristics of the Notes and the principal risks associated with the Notes") (the form of which is contained in this Base Prospectus) in respect of the issue of any Notes will specify whether or not such Notes will be admitted to trading and will state, as the case may be, the relevant Regulated Market.
    [Show full text]
  • Les Faits Et La Procédure CE, Région Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou
    CE, Région Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes, 20 mars 2017 DATE 24/07/2017 ÉMETTEUR BAJ Dans une décision n° 401751 du 20 juin 2017, le Conseil d’État a affirmé que les lignes directrices définies par une autorité de régulation dans l’exercice de sa mission, sont invocables devant le juge administratif. Pour autant, ces lignes directrices ne sont pas figées et peuvent évoluées au fil des avis rendus. Après une brève présentation des faits, de la procédure (I), la présente note analyse la solution retenue qui éclaire sur le pouvoir d’appréciation des autorités de régulation et la valeur juridique à retenir et la souplesse applicables aux lignes directrices édictées par les autorités de régulation (II). I) Les faits et la procédure Une société de transport par autocar s’est déclarée pour assurer un service régulier entre Brive-la-Gaillarde et Périgueux de quatre dessertes par jour du lundi au samedi et deux dessertes le dimanche. La région -Limousin-Poitou-Charentes a saisi l'ARAFER sur le fondement de l’article L.3111-19 alinéa 2 du code des transports pour avis conforme d'un projet d'interdiction de ce service estimant que la liaison porterait une atteinte substantielle à l’équilibre économique de la ligne ferroviaire gérée par la Région qui relie les deux mêmes villes. Dans un avis n°2016-070 du 18 mai 2016, l'ARAFER a sur le fondement de ses lignes directrices1 ainsi que de l’appréciation de divers éléments contextuels, rejeté ledit projet d’interdiction et a estimé que le service envisagé ne portait pas une atteinte substantielle à l'équilibre économique de la ligne Brive-la-Gaillarde-Périgueux que la région organise au titre du service public des transports express régionaux (TER) et s'est dès lors prononcée défavorablement sur le projet de la région d'interdire ce service.
    [Show full text]
  • Case Study: Limousin
    French Team Pre-task 2 Case study: Limousin 1- Presentation of the destination Limousin is a French region, located in the Massif Central and composed of three departments: Creuse, Corrèze and Haute-Vienne. On the website of Limousin, six assets are highlighted: Nature and landscapes: Nature is one of Limousin's main assets. This area offers a wide variety of landscapes, there can be found thousands of streams, steep valleys, picturesque villages, peat bogs, moorland, bucolic pathways and hills. Towns: Six of "France's Prettiest villages" are located in Limousin. The Limousin region also has two villages classified "City of Art and History", and four gardens classified as "Outstanding Gardens". Culture and heritage: Limousin has a rich medieval past: castles, towers, knights and troubadours. The region features exceptional places and some unique and very interesting museums with ultra- contemporary style architectures. Examples of museums: The Adrien Dubouché National Porcelain Museum in Limoges where Limoges's porcelain heritage is preserved. There is a display of 15.000 pieces: the world's largest collection of Limoges porcelain. Gastronomy: Limousin cultivates the art of eating tasty, particularly with its famous beef, the limousine cattle race which is eaten all around France and exported all over the world. Limousin expertise: Limousin is a land of traditions. There is a unique and historical expertise in Limousin in many areas such as Limoges porcelain, enamel, tapestry, Stained-glass. Indeed, the know-how of Limoges porcelain is famous worldwide and the Aubusson tapestry was listed as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2009. Sports and leisure: Limousin is the place for sport lovers with its 6.200 kms (over 3.850 miles) of hiking trails and its golf courses.
    [Show full text]
  • France: the Southwest
    The Southwest of Paris France Bonjour, my name is Bixente! Follow me on a WITH ABOUT 350,000 square miles, France is the largest coun- tour of southwestern France! try in Western Europe, and roughly the size of Texas. In 2003, its population reached 62 million, of which about 12 million live in or around the capital, Paris. France also includes several overseas territories: Guadeloupe La Roche Posay and Martinique in the Caribbean; Futuroscope French Guiana just north of Brazil; Reunion Island in the Ilele de Ré Indian Ocean; French Polynesia, Poitevinin Poitiers Aubusson New Caledonia, and Wallis and La Rochelle Marshes Futuna in the Pacific Ocean; and Poitou-Charentes the Antarctic territories. Ilele d’’Olléron Since the European Union's Limoges Cognac inception, some 50 years ago, Atlantic Limousin France has been at the forefront of Angoulême Lascaux the construction of a strong and Ocean Périgord integrated Europe. The European Rocamadour Massif Périgueux Union remains one of France's top Médoc Central Lacanau foreign policy priorities. As one of Pomerol Sarlat the five permanent members of Saint-Emilion the United Nations' Security Gouffre de Dune de Pylala Arcachon Bordeaux Padirac Council, and the fourth highest Sauternes Cahors Conques contributor to the U.N. budget, France is deeply involved in all sig- Aquitaine Midi-Pyrénées nificant international affairs. Agen Parc Régioional Moissac Cordes-sur-ciel But France is also a country des Landes Hossegor Armagnac Roquefort where people are strongly Albi Dax Gascony attached to their regional roots. Biarritz This brochure will help you Bayonne Toulouse understand the deep ties the Saint-Jean-de-Luz Marciac French continue to have with Pays Parc Régionionall du their native regions.
    [Show full text]
  • The March 2004 Regional Elections in France: Terms for a Transfer of Power
    The March 2004 Regional Elections in France: Terms for a Transfer of Power PASCAL DELWIT On 21st and 28th March 2004, the French were summoned for a fourth time to elect their regional councillors.1 In March 1998, the regional elections were held less than a year after the victory of the pluralist left (Socialist Party, French Communist Party, Radical Socialist Party, the Greens and the Citizens’ Movement Party) in the early parliamentary elections held in 1997.2 The results achieved by the parliamentary left were considered good, especially following the very poor showing in the 1992 regional elections. It took over the reins of eight regional councils – Aquitaine, Centre, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Limousin, Midi-Pyre´ne´es, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and Provence- Alpes-Coˆte-d’Azur – as compared with 14 held by the parliamentary right – Alsace, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Cham- pagne-Ardenne, Corsica, Franche-Comte´, Languedoc-Roussillon, Lorraine, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes and Rhoˆne-Alpes. The 1998 regional elections were especially marked by the trend towards relative majorities – on the right or left – and by the potential for trouble from the Front National. Despite national directives (half-hearted), four presidents of UDF or RPR regions were elected with the willing help of the Front National: in Bourgogne, Languedoc-Roussillon and in Picardie and Rhoˆne- Alpes. This was in part why the electoral system was modified for the regional elections of March 2004 (see below). The March 2004 regional elections took place in an entirely different context. In the spring of 2002, Jacques Chirac was elected president over Jean-Marie Le Pen, surprise candidate in the second round.3 Moreover, the parliamentary right triumphed in the general elections that followed soon afterwards.
    [Show full text]
  • The Vikings in Brittany
    THE VIKINGS IN BRITTANY by NEIL S. PRICE VIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON 1989 © 1989 Neil S. Price. ISBN: 978 0 903521 22 2 This work was published simultaneously as The Vikings in Brittany by Neil S. Price (Viking Society for Northern Research, University College London, 1989) and as Saga-Book XXII 6 (1989). Consequently, there is double pagination: pp. 1–122 for the former, pp. 319–440 for the latter. Reprinted 2001, 20012 by Short Run Press Limited, Exeter CONTENTS page LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................ 5/323 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................. 7/325 INTRODUCTION.......................................................... 9/327 1. DOCUMENTARY SOURCES 13/331 SCANDINAVIAN SOURCES.................................. 13/331 CAROLINGIAN AND BRETON SOURCES ............. 14/332 NORMAN SOURCES............................................. 17/335 ANGLO-SAXON, IRISH AND WELSH SOURCES .... 18/336 2. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: FRANCE IN THE VIKING AGE 21/339 THE FIRST RAIDS: 799-856 ................................... 21/339 THE ASSAULT ON FRANCE: 856-892 .................... 28/346 THE PEACE OF ALAIN THE GREAT: 892-907 ........ 37/355 THE CONQUEST AND OCCUPATION OF BRITTANY: 907-939....:......................................... 39/357 THE LAST OF THE VIKINGS: 939-1076 .................. 52/370 3. ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE 54/372 FORTIFICATIONS................................................ 55/373 PLACE-NAMES...................................................
    [Show full text]