Border control changes this week, Storms & Politics: News Digest

Border checks are tightening as the EU Entry/Exit System begins, storms have battered the north with power cuts and travel disruption, and the prime minister has resigned after just 27 days. Here are the French news stories Brits in France need to know this week.

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EU entry-exit system starts Sunday 12 October

From 12 October 2025, British passport holders (and other non-EU “third-country” travellers) will start enrolling in the EU’s new Entry/Exit System. On your first trip to a Schengen external border, a digital record is created from your passport plus biometrics (face and fingerprints; under-12s are exempt). After that, your face is checked at airports, seaports, rail terminals and road crossings, usually via a self-service kiosk or upgraded eGate. You don’t need to do anything in advance, and passport stamping continues during the six-month rollout.

Expect little change on day one: the EES is being phased in between 12 Oct 2025 and 9 Apr 2026, with only a portion of travellers processed at first. EU passport holders still use their separate lanes; most UK-to-UK cruises remain exempt, though fly-cruise trips via a Schengen port will use EES. Your EES record is kept for three years from your last crossing (it refreshes each visit), and a renewed passport should link automatically. ETIAS pre-travel authorisation isn’t due until next year.

You can find out more about the EU entry-exit system here.

High winds, power cuts and travel disruption across northern France

Northern France was hit over the weekend by Storm Amy with gusts approaching 120km/h on exposed coasts, leaving two people dead, thousands briefly without power and travel disrupted in Channel-facing departments. Authorities stressed coastal caution and warned of residual hazards even as conditions eased.

French prime minister quits after just 27 days, deepening political crisis

France’s newly appointed prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, resigned on 6 October 2025, barely hours after unveiling his cabinet, the shortest modern premiership. President Emmanuel Macron asked him to remain in place for 48 hours to hold talks with party leaders as he weighs options: appoint a new consensus PM or dissolve the National Assembly and call snap elections. Markets wobbled on the news, reflecting nerves over whether a 2026 budget can pass in a fragmented parliament.

Lead photo credit : Shutterstock