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World Watch Report CONFIDENTIAL WORLD WATCH® REPORT ­­ON­­ France Date: 05/07/2019 13:57:02 GMT / UTC UnitedHealthcare Global Risk | 14141 Southwest Freeway, Suite 500 | Sugar Land, Texas 77478 ph: (713) 430­7300 | email: [email protected] | url: www.uhcglobal.com World Watch® is confidential and is intended solely for the information and use of UnitedHealthcare Global's clients. Given the nature of the information, UnitedHealthcare Global does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information because agencies outside the control of UnitedHealthcare Global contribute information to World Watch®. While UnitedHealthcare Global vets and verifies all information with the utmost care and consideration for the end user, UnitedHealthcare Global does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and specifically disclaims all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of, or reliance upon, any of the information on this site, including customized reports created by clients. Any alteration or modification of the content of World Watch®, either from the website or via printed reports, is strictly prohibited. For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or visit www.uhcglobal.com. Copyright © 2019 UnitedHealthcare Global. All rights reserved. For Terms and Conditions go to Terms Of Use World Watch® Report from UnitedHealthcare Global France Executive Summary for France France is a stable democracy located in Western Europe. To the southwest, the country borders Spain, and to the east, it borders Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco and Switzerland. The semi­presidential government is comprised of 96 mainland départements, and also has five overseas départements: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion. Independent centrist Emmanuel Macron won the country's most recent presidential elections on 7 May 2017 after a run­off against far­right Front National candidate Marine Le Pen. While Macron won with approximately 66 percent of the vote, the results point to deep­rooted political divisions and a deeply divided country. Among the most divisive issues is France’s economy, which ­­ while it is one of the largest economies in the European Union ­­ struggles with consistently high unemployment and slow economic growth. Since November 2018, “yellow vest” protests have occurred in cities across France, highlighting discontent with Macron’s economic reforms and weakening the president’s position both domestically and in the international arena. The overall assessment of threats in France is Medium. In general, the security concern visitors to France are most likely to encounter is crime. Petty crime is common, particularly in the country's larger cities. Strikes in the public and private sectors occur frequently and may disrupt services used by travelers, including transportation. Street demonstrations also occur regularly throughout the country, frequently disrupting traffic. Although protests are usually peaceful, they sometimes devolve into violence. The threat of terrorism perpetrated by Islamist militants ­­ such as those affiliated with or inspired by al­Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) ­­ and other extremist elements represents a continuing threat in France. Several terrorist attacks have occurred in France in recent years. Future attacks could involve large­scale bombings or less sophisticated but still deadly smaller­scale assaults. Additionally, there is a persistent threat posed by radicalized individuals who are capable of carrying out "lone wolf" attacks that are difficult to detect or prevent. Domestic terrorist groups ­­ most notably the Corsican National Liberation Front (FLNC) ­­ have carried out occasional attacks in France in the past, but the frequency of attacks has significantly decreased in recent years, and foreign visitors are rarely affected. France Information Country Facts Current Analysis Official French Republic Country Name Centrist Emmanuel Macron became France’s president in May 2017. Macron Type Of Semi­Presidential Republic leads the French government with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and a Government coalition of Macron’s En March! Party and the Democratic Movement. Leadership President:Emmanuel Macron, The ongoing “yellow vest” protest movement, which began in November 2018, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe represents widespread discontent with Macron’s policies. Capital Paris The economy remains the top challenge facing Macron's coalition Official French government. Language Political Situation Population 67.1 million Ethnic French with Slavic, North African, France is led by President Emmanuel Macron, an independent centrist who Divisions Indochinese and Basque founded the young En Marche! Party. Macron’s coalition of En Marche! and the minorities Democratic Movement (MoDem) hold 350 out of the 577 parliamentary seats. Religion Christian (primarily Roman Macron’s government is currently facing widespread protests against several Catholic) 63­66%, Muslim 7­9%, government policies. The “yellow vest” or “gilets jaunes” protests began on 17 Buddhist 0.5­0.75%, Judaism 0.5­ November 2018 in response to a planned fuel tax increase scheduled to go into 0.75%, other 0.5­1%, none 23­ 28% effect in January 2019. Since then, notable violent demonstrations ­­ which are described as the worst that France has seen since 1968 ­­ have been taking GDP Growth 0.4% place at weekly Saturday protests in major cities across the country, including Inflation 1.3% Paris. While the French government has canceled the fuel tax increase that Unemployment 8.8% triggered the initial protests, demonstrations will likely continue due to the fact that the movement now encompasses numerous demands, including raising the Currency Euro minimum wage and reducing the retirement age. Office Work Monday­Friday World Watch® Report from UnitedHealthcare Global Week The yellow vest protests have weakened the government’s image both Time Zone UTC + 1 (Daylight Saving Time domestically and in the international arena and resulted in significant economic Offset observed) concessions on the part of the government. In addition, the protests represent Country Phone 33 widespread discontent with Macron’s administration. In response, in early 2019 Code Macron launched the Great National Debate, a three­month program comprised of online surveys and in­person meetings meant to gauge attitudes of French Capital City 01 Phone Code citizens on a variety of topics, including public services and the economy. Despite these efforts, yellow vest protests are ongoing and Macron’s approval Nationwide 112 (all emergencies), 17 (police), rating remains low. Emergency 18 (fire and medical), 15 (backup Number(s) medical) International Relations Electricity 230 V, 50 Hz Plug Styles Types C, E Much of the narrative surrounding France’s international relations centers on the country’s relationship with Europe. While the country is a member of the European Union (EU), recent elections highlighted growing dissatisfaction with the EU within France’s population. One party, the Front National (FN), in particular capitalized on this notion; the FN presidential candidate Marine Le Pen campaigned on France leaving the union as the United Kingdom voted to do in the summer of 2016. While President Emmanuel Macron is moving forward with a pro­EU agenda, France’s relationship with other European countries may face challenges moving forward. Economic Situation The economy remains the main issue facing Macron’s government. As mentioned in the Political Situation section, Macron’s government has implemented several changes in response to the ongoing “yellow vest” protests, including canceling the fuel tax increase that was set to come into effect in January 2019. The government also froze increases on the prices of regulated electricity and gas as well as new rules on vehicles that would have particularly affected owners of older cars. While the full extent of the economic impact of the “yellow vest” movement is not yet clear, reports indicate that the protests will likely cost the country billions of dollars in lost revenue, particularly impacting the tourism and retail sectors. In early 2019, the finance minister revised France’s growth forecast for 2019 from 1.7 percent down to 1.4 percent, partially due to the economic impact of the yellow vest protests. In addition, as of March 2019, the French Insurance Federation stated that damage linked to the protests is estimated to be at least 170 million euro (approximately 190 million USD). Macron’s concessions and the loss of revenue as a result of the protests will constrain Macron’s ability to implement new economic policies to address ongoing issues in the country, including high unemployment. Security Issues Crime, mostly in the form of petty theft, is the security concern that is most likely to affect travelers in France. Racially­ motivated crime has become a growing problem in recent years. Strikes occur frequently in France and can disrupt services used by travelers, particularly transportation. Demonstrations and protests are common occurrences in the country and can occasionally disrupt traffic or result in violence. The threat of terrorism remains a significant concern across France. Crime Crime is the security concern travelers to France are most likely to encounter, particularly in larger urban areas such as Paris, Marseille and Nice. Most incidents
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