2016 in France

Incumbents

• President – François Hollande
• Prime Minister – Manuel Valls, Bernard Cazeneuve

  Events

• 1 January –
• * 9 regions of France are suppressed, from 27 to 18.
• * Creation of the Métropole du Grand Paris.
• * Inauguration of the Université Grenoble Alpes.
• 27 January – Jean-Jacques Urvoas is appointed to be Minister of Justice.
• 11 February – Former Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development.
• 26 February – 41st César Awards.
• 8 March – Laurent Fabius takes over as President of the Constitutional Council; Michel Pinault and Corinne Luquiens enter as simple members.
• 31 March – Nuit debout begins at the Place de la République, Paris.
• 6 April – En Marche!, a liberal centrist political party, is founded by Emmanuel Macron in Amiens.
• 20 May – Introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes and tobacco products.
• 11 May – Beginning of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.
• 10 June – Opening of the UEFA Euro 2016 in 10 French cities.
• 13 June – Magnanville stabbing.
• 26 June – Referendum in the Loire-Atlantique department about the Aéroport du Grand Ouest; 55% of the voters accept the project.
• 3 July – Opening of the LGV Est.
• 14 July – Terrorist attack in Nice.
• 24 July – The 2016 Tour de France ends in Paris.
• 26 July – 2016 Normandy church attack.
• 5 August –
• * 177 athletes from France begin to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• * The Braderie de Lille is cancelled due to terrorist threats.
• 6 August – Thirteen people are killed in a fire in Rouen.
• 8 August – The El Khomri law is signed by President Hollande.
• 30 August – Emmanuel Macron resigns from his position as Minister of the Economy.
• 23 August – Laurent Wauquiez becomes president of The Republicans party ad interim.
• 4 September – Notre Dame Cathedral bombing attempt.
• 9 September – Opening of the fête de l'Humanité.
• 1 October – Beginning of the 2016 Paris Motor Show.
• 7 November – Yannick Jadot wins the Europe Ecology – The Greens primary and becomes the party's candidate for the 2017 French presidential election.
• 13 November – A thousands of French people marks the first anniversary of last year attacks in Paris since World War II.
• 27 November – Former Prime Minister François Fillon wins the right-wing primary for the 2017 French presidential election.
• 1 December – President François Hollande announces he will not seek reelection in April 2017.
• 6 December – Bernard Cazeneuve is appointed to be Prime Minister.
• 19 December – The Law Court of the Republic founds IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence during her time as Minister of Finance.

  General

Deaths

January">Deaths in January 2016">January

• January 1Jacques Deny, mathematician
• January 2Michel Delpech, singer-songwriter and actor
• January 4
• * André Turcat, aviator
• * Michel Galabru, actor
• January 5
• * Tancrède Melet, tightrope walker
• * Pierre Boulez, composer, conductor and writer
• January 6Yves Vincent, actor
• January 7André Courrèges, fashion designer
• January 15Robert Darène, film director and actor
• January 18
• * Michel Tournier, writer
• * Leila Alaoui, artist and photographer
• January 20Edmonde Charles-Roux, writer
• January 21Robert Sassone, road racing cyclist
• January 23Bernard Quennehen, road racing cyclist
• January 28Emile Destombes, Roman Catholic bishop
• January 29Jacques Rivette, film director and film critic
• January 31Benoît Violier, chef

  February">Deaths in February 2016">February

• February 1Bernard Piras, politician
• February 7Juliette Benzoni, writer
• February 8Violette Verdy, ballerina
• February 17Claude Jeancolas, author

  March">Deaths in March 2016">March

• March 1Jean Miotte, abstract painter

  April">Deaths in April 2016">April

• April 1André Villers, photographer
• April 15Anne Grommerch, politician

  May">Deaths in May 2016">May

• May 1Jean-Marie Girault, politician
• May 5Siné, political cartoonist

  July">Deaths in July 2016">July

• July 1Yves Bonnefoy, poet
• July 2Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister