New Online Declarations for Taxable Gifts: News Digest

A new digital system for declaring taxable gifts has been launched, commuters have noticed flame symbols stuck on road signs by protesters opposing the results of COP30, La Poste has joined a nationwide initiative to collect and recycle old cookware, and the mayor of Nice has lost his appeal over the decision on the coastal roadway, while the two famous pandas at Beauval Zoo are returning to China. Here are the headlines from French newspapers this week.

New Online Declarations Introduced for Taxable Gifts

Starting January 2026, France will require most taxable gifts, such as money, jewellery, art, and vehicles, to be declared through a new online portal, replacing paper forms and current online processes. This new portal will allow either the giver or recipient to pay the tax electronically, with exceptions for minors, adults unable to manage their own affairs, or those without internet access. These can still use paper forms. The rollout was delayed from July 2025 to January 2026, and the government will provide separate forms for gifts below or above €15,000. 

Flames Plastered on Road Signs Across the Country

Since 10 November, commuters may have noticed flames glued onto road signs, an action claimed by ANV-COP21, a group that describes itself as non-violent citizen activists. The stunt, which has affected signs in at least two dozen départements, is intended to protest the outcome of the COP30 summit in Brazil. At the summit, efforts to create a roadmap for transitioning to clean energy were blocked, and references to fossil fuels were removed from the final agreement. In France, tampering with road signs is a criminal offence, punishable by fines of up to €3,750 or even imprisonment.

La Poste Offers Drop-off Points for Used Cookware

La Poste has joined a national collection drive to recycle used metal cookware, to prevent old pans with potentially harmful non-stick coatings from going to landfills, so the materials can be recycled, saving over 90% of CO2. The scheme started earlier this year in supermarkets and has collected 80,000 tonnes of products, and now has 1,700 collection points, including 945 from La Poste. Organised by Tefal’s kitchenware parent company, they aim to collect 20 million utensils by 2027.

Drivers Warned of Upcoming Changes to a Major Road in Nice

The Quai des États-Unis, which stretches along the seafront from the port to the Promenade des Anglais, was converted to one-way traffic in 2020. But in 2024, France’s administrative court ordered the return of a two-way system. Nice’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, appealed the ruling but has now lost the case. Drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists have been advised that the changeover work will begin in early 2026.

Beauval Zoo Pandas Return to China 

Two pandas, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi, have returned to China after living in Beauval Zoo in the Loire Valley for the past 13 years. French and Chinese vets agreed it made sense to bring the 17-year-old pandas home while they were still in good enough health to make the long journey. Arriving in 2012, they quickly became famous in France, and five years later, Huan Huan gave birth to the first panda ever born in France. They were bid a ‘bon voyage’ at Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle airport, and will return to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where they were born.