Events from the year
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
Incumbents
*
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
–
François Hollande (
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
)
*
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
–
Manuel Valls
Manuel Carlos Valls Galfetti (, , ; born 13 August 1962) is a French-Spanish politician who has served as a Barcelona city councillor from 2019 to 2021. He served as Prime Minister of France from 2014 until 2016 under president François Hol ...
(
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
, until 6 December),
Bernard Cazeneuve
Bernard Guy Georges Cazeneuve (; born 2 June 1963) is a French politician and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 December 2016 to 15 May 2017. A member of the Socialist Party, he represented Manche’s 5th constituency in the ...
(
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
, starting 6 December)
Events
*1 January –
** 9
regions of France
France is divided into eighteen administrative regions (french: régions, singular ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while the other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas colle ...
are suppressed, from 27 to 18.
** Creation of the
Métropole du Grand Paris
The Métropole du Grand Paris (; "Metropolis of Greater Paris"),There is no official or widely-used English translation yet. also known as Grand Paris or Greater Paris, is a ''métropole'' covering the City of Paris and its nearest surrounding su ...
.
** Inauguration of the
Université Grenoble Alpes
The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA, French: meaning "''Grenoble Alps University''") is a public research university in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 resea ...
.
*27 January –
Jean-Jacques Urvoas
Jean-Jacques Urvoas (born 19 September 1959 in Brest, France) is a French politician. He was minister of Justice from 2016 to 2017. He represented Finistère's 1st constituency in the National Assembly of France from 2007 to 2016, as a member ...
is appointed to be Minister of Justice.
*11 February – Former Prime Minister
Jean-Marc Ayrault
Jean-Marc Ayrault (; born 25 January 1950) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2012 to 31 March 2014. He later was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2017. He previously was Mayor of Nantes from 1989 t ...
is appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development.
*26 February –
41st César Awards.
*8 March –
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Mar ...
takes over as President of the
Constitutional Council Constitutional Council might refer to:
* Constitutional Council (Chad)
* Constitutional Council (France)
* Constitutional Council (Ivory Coast)
* Constitutional Council (Sri Lanka)
* Constitutional Council (Cambodia)
* Constitutional Council (Kaz ...
; Michel Pinault and Corinne Luquiens enter as simple members.
*31 March –
Nuit debout begins at the
Place de la République
The Place de la République (known as the Place du Château d'Eau until 1879) is a square in Paris, located on the border between the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements. The square has an area of .Warner, p. 250 Named after the First, Second an ...
, Paris.
* 6 April –
En Marche!
Renaissance (RE), previously known as La République En Marche ! (frequently abbreviated LREM, LaREM or REM; translated as "The Republic on the Move" or "Republic Forward"), or sometimes called simply En Marche ! () as its original name, is a l ...
, a liberal centrist political party, is founded by
Emmanuel Macron in
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
.
* 20 May – Introduction of
plain packaging
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands.
...
for cigarettes and tobacco products.
* 11 May – Beginning of the
2016 Cannes Film Festival.
* 10 June – Opening of the
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
in 10 French cities.
* 13 June –
Magnanville stabbing.
* 26 June – Referendum in the
Loire-Atlantique department about the
Aéroport du Grand Ouest The Grand Ouest Airport, or Aéroport du Grand Ouest Project was a project for a new airport, to be situated to the north-west of the French city of Nantes in the ''commune'' of Notre-Dame-des-Landes. It was intended for the new airport to replac ...
; 55% of the voters accept the project.
* 3 July – Opening of the
LGV Est
The Ligne à Grande Vitesse Est européenne (East European High Speed Line), typically shortened to LGV Est, is a French high-speed rail line that connects Vaires-sur-Marne (near Paris) and Vendenheim (near Strasbourg). The line halved the ...
.
* 14 July –
Terrorist attack in Nice.
* 24 July – The
2016 Tour de France
The 2016 Tour de France was the 103rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 2 July in Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, and concluding on 24 July with the Champs-Élysées st ...
ends in Paris.
* 26 July –
2016 Normandy church attack
On 26 July 2016, two Islamist terrorists attacked participants in a Mass at a Catholic church in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, northern France. Wielding knives and wearing fake explosive belts, the men took six people captive and later ...
.
* 5 August –
** 177 athletes from France begin to compete at the
2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
** The
Braderie de Lille
The Lille Braderie (''French: Braderie de Lille'') is a braderie, or annual street market/flea market, that takes place on the weekend of the first Sunday of September in Lille, France, in the northern Hauts-de-France region. Its dates back to t ...
is cancelled due to terrorist threats.
* 6 August – Thirteen people
are killed in a fire in
Rouen.
* 8 August – The
El Khomri law
The loi n° 2016-1088 du 8 août 2016 relative au travail, à la modernisation du dialogue social et à la sécurisation des parcours professionnels is a piece of national legislation in France relating to employment. It is commonly known as the El ...
is signed by President Hollande.
* 12 August – The mayor of
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...
bans the Islamic
Burkini
A burkini (or burqini; portmanteau of burqa and bikini, though qualifying as neither of these garments) is a style of swimsuit for women. The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet, while being light enough for swimm ...
the swimsuits, citing a possible link to Islamic extremism. At least 20 other French towns, including
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
, subsequently joined the ban.
* 30 August –
Emmanuel Macron resigns from his position as Minister of the Economy.
* 23 August –
Laurent Wauquiez
Laurent Timothée Marie Wauquiez (; born 12 April 1975) is a French politician who has presided over the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes since 2016. He is a member of The Republicans (LR), which he led from 2017 to 2019 following the ...
becomes president of
The Republicans party ''ad interim''.
* 4 September –
Notre Dame Cathedral bombing attempt
On 4 September 2016, a car containing seven canisters of gas and pages with Arabic writing was found parked near Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris.
Attempt
The car that was meant to be detonated was a grey Peugeot 607 with its license plat ...
.
* 9 September – Opening of the
fête de l'Humanité
The fête de l'Humanité (; ''English: Festival of Humanity'') is an event organised annually by French daily newspaper ''L'Humanité'' in order to fund itself. It is the largest popular gathering in France.
L'Humanité was created in 1904 by Fre ...
(3 days).
* 1 October – Beginning of the
2016 Paris Motor Show.
* 7 November –
Yannick Jadot
Yannick Jadot (; born 27 July 1967) is a French environmentalist and politician who has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since the 2009 European election, representing the West France constituency.
Early career
As an environ ...
wins the
Europe Ecology – The Greens
Europe Ecology – The Greens (french: Europe Écologie Les Verts , EELV ) is a centre-left to left-wing green political party in France. The party is a member of the European Green Party. The party was formed on 13 November 2010 from the merge ...
primary and becomes the party's candidate for the
2017 French presidential election
The 2017 French presidential election was held on 23 April and 7 May 2017. As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a Two-round system, runoff was held between the top two candidates, Emmanuel Macron of La République En Marche!, En Ma ...
.
* 13 November – A thousands of
French people
The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France.
The French people, especially the na ...
marks the first anniversary of last year
attacks in Paris since
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
* 27 November – Former Prime Minister
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon (; born 4 March 1954) is a retired French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. He was the nominee of the Republicans (previously known as the Union ...
wins the
right-wing primary for the
2017 French presidential election
The 2017 French presidential election was held on 23 April and 7 May 2017. As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a Two-round system, runoff was held between the top two candidates, Emmanuel Macron of La République En Marche!, En Ma ...
.
* 1 December – President
François Hollande announces he will not seek reelection in April 2017.
* 6 December –
Bernard Cazeneuve
Bernard Guy Georges Cazeneuve (; born 2 June 1963) is a French politician and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 December 2016 to 15 May 2017. A member of the Socialist Party, he represented Manche’s 5th constituency in the ...
is appointed to be Prime Minister.
* 19 December – The
Law Court of the Republic founds IMF managing director
Christine Lagarde
Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde (; née Lallouette, ; born 1 January 1956) is a French politician and lawyer who has been serving as President of the European Central Bank since 2019. She previously served as the 11th managing director of the ...
guilty of negligence during her time as Minister of Finance.
General
Smartphone user penetration rate in France from 2018 to 2024. In 2024, the share of monthly active smartphone users is projected to reach 75.53 percent of the total population. This would be an increase of approximately six percent from 69.46 percent in 2018.
Deaths
January
* 1 January
Jacques Deny
Jacques Deny (; 22 October 1916 – 1 January 2016) was a French mathematician. He made notable contributions to the field of analysis, in particular potential theory
In mathematics and mathematical physics, potential theory is the study of ...
, mathematician (b. 1916)
* 2 January
Michel Delpech
Jean-Michel Delpech (French pronunciation: ɑ̃ miʃɛl dɛlpɛʃ 26 January 19462 January 2016), known as Michel Delpech, was a French singer-songwriter and actor.
Family
Jean-Michel Bertrand Delpech was born the 26th january of 1946 in ...
, singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1946)
* 4 January
**
André Turcat
Major André Édouard Turcat (23 October 1921 – 4 January 2016) was a French Air Force pilot and test pilot celebrated for flying the first prototype of Concorde for its maiden flight.
Turcat was born on 23 October 1921 in Marseille (Bouches-du ...
, aviator (b. 1921)
**
Michel Galabru
Michel Louis Edmond Galabru (27 October 19224 January 2016) was a French actor.
Career
Galabru appeared in more than 250 films and worked with directors such as Bertrand Blier, Costa-Gavras, Luc Besson (for ''Subway''), and Jean-Luc Godard. ...
, actor (b. 1922)
* 5 January
**
Tancrède Melet
Tancrède Melet (1983 – 5 January 2016) was a French slackliner.
Biography
Born in 1983 in Meurthe-et-Moselle, Melet grew up in Hérault before becoming an engineer. He worked as an engineer for four years before quitting in 2008 to turn his ...
, tightrope walker (b. 1983)
**
Pierre Boulez, composer, conductor and writer (b. 1925)
* 6 January
Yves Vincent
Yves Vincent (5 August 1921 – 6 January 2016) was a French film and television actor.
Selected filmography
* ''Devil and the Angel'' (1946) - Robert
* ''La taverne du poisson couronné'' (1947) - Pierre Astor
* '' The Sharks of Gibraltar'' ...
, actor (b. 1921)
* 7 January
André Courrèges
André Courrèges (; 9 March 1923 – 7 January 2016) was a French fashion designer. He was particularly known for his streamlined 1960s designs influenced by modernism and futurism, exploiting modern technology and new fabrics. Courrèges de ...
, fashion designer (b. 1923)
* 15 January
Robert Darène
Robert Darène (10 January 1914 – 15 January 2016) was a French actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in twelve films between 1934 and 1959, and directed nine films between 1951 and 1963.
Selected filmography
* '' Le Chevalie ...
, film director and actor (b. 1914)
* 18 January
**
Michel Tournier
Michel Tournier (; 19 December 1924 − 18 January 2016) was a French writer. He won awards such as the ''Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française'' in 1967 for '' Friday, or, The Other Island'' and the Prix Goncourt for '' The Erl-King'' i ...
, writer (b. 1924)
**
Leila Alaoui, artist and photographer (b. 1982)
* 20 January
Edmonde Charles-Roux
Edmonde Charles-Roux (17 April 1920 – 20 January 2016) was a French writer.
Early life
Charles-Roux was born in 1920 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, the daughter of Francois Charles-Roux, the former French ambassador to Czechoslovakia, a member of t ...
, writer (b. 1920)
* 21 January
Robert Sassone, road racing cyclist (b. 1978)
* 23 January
Bernard Quennehen, road racing cyclist (b. 1930)
* 28 January
Emile Destombes
Emile Jean Marie Henri Joseph Destombe (15 August 1935 – 28 January 2016) was a French Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th ce ...
,
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
bishop (b. 1935)
* 29 January
Jacques Rivette
Jacques Rivette (; 1 March 1928 – 29 January 2016) was a French film director and film critic most commonly associated with the French New Wave and the film magazine '' Cahiers du Cinéma''. He made twenty-nine films, including '' L'amour f ...
, film director and film critic (b. 1928)
* 31 January
Benoît Violier, chef (b. 1971)
February
* 1 February
Bernard Piras, politician (b. 1942)
* 7 February
Juliette Benzoni
Juliette Benzoni (30 October 1920 – 7 February 2016) was a French author and international bestseller in several genres, including historical romance, historical fiction, mystery and screenwriting. In 1998, at the age of 78, she received th ...
, writer (b. 1920)
* 8 February
Violette Verdy
Violette Verdy (born Nelly Armande Guillerm; 1 December 1933 – 8 February 2016) was a French ballerina, choreographer, teacher, and writer who worked as a dance company director with the Paris Opera Ballet in France and the Boston Ballet in t ...
, ballerina (b. 1933)
* 17 February
Claude Jeancolas
Claude Jeancolas (1949 – 10 February 2016) was a French writer, art historian and journalist. He is best known for his work on Arthur Rimbaud.
Life
His entire childhood and adolescence was spent in Nancy, in the east of France. At the age ...
, author (b. 1949)
March
* 1 March
Jean Miotte
Jean Miotte (1926-March 1, 2016) was a French abstract painter, in the style known as L'Art Informel. His work was preserved and studied by the Miotte Foundation and is in the collections of museums including: MoMA and the Guggenheim in New Y ...
, abstract painter (b. 1926)
* 1 March
Carole Achache, writer, photographer and actress (b. 1952)
April
* 1 April
André Villers, photographer (b. 1930)
* 15 April
Anne Grommerch, politician (b. 1970)
May
* 1 May
Jean-Marie Girault, politician (b. 1926)
* 5 May
Siné
Maurice Sinet (; 31 December 1928 – 5 May 2016), known professionally as Siné (), was a French political cartoonist. His work is noted for its anti-capitalism, anti-clericalism, anti-colonialism, anti-semitism, and anarchism.
Biography
A ...
, political cartoonist (b. 1928)
July
* 1 July
Yves Bonnefoy
Yves Jean Bonnefoy (24 June 1923, Tours – 1 July 2016 Paris) was a French poet and art historian. He also published a number of translations, most notably the plays of William Shakespeare which are considered among the best in French. He was pr ...
, poet (b. 1923)
* 2 July
Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the ''Revenu minimum d'ins ...
, former Prime Minister (b. 1930)
See also
*
List of French films of 2016
A list of French-produced films scheduled for release in 2016.
2016
Notes
External links
French films of 2016at the Internet Movie Database
* 2016 in France
* 2016 in French television
{{DEFAULTSORT:French films 2016
French
2016
...
*
2016 in French music
*
2016 in French television
References
{{Year in Europe, 2016
2010s in France