Last month the French Senator for Savoie Martine Berthet, who the Bulletin has been in regular contact with, contacted the Bulletin to share a copy of the letter she sent to the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau regarding the conditions for authorising British nationals who own second homes to reside in France in which he states that he is looking into the matter seriously.
And, as part of The House of Lords European Affairs Committee’s call for evidence for its new inquiry into the reset of UK-EU relations, the issue has been raised in The House. According to The Connexion in France, France Visa Free Facebook group founder Steven Jolly has given evidence to the House of Lords to raise awareness of problems faced by second-home owners limited by the 90/180-days rule.
The Lords are conducting an enquiry into what the UK’s proposed new ‘reset’ of EU relations should involve. The inquiry comes after the Government announced that it was seeking a reset of the UK’s relations with the European Union, including in the areas of security and defence co-operation, in order to “address common threats and challenges”; and trade, in order to “break down barriers”.
The cross-party Lords European Affairs Committee’s inquiry will have two main themes:
the substance of the reset (involving questions about what the reset is, or should be); and
the process for achieving the objectives of the reset (involving questions about how the Government pursues it with the EU, and the role of devolved administrations and other interested parties in the UK).
Lord Ricketts, Chair of the Lords European Affairs Committee, said: “The Government has made clear that the reset will be at the centre of its efforts to improve UK-EU relations. Our inquiry will scrutinise the Government’s proposals, and consider what a reset should aim to deliver in practice for the UK. The Committee looks forward to examining this complex issue in detail - with a view to publishing a report later this year.”