2016 in France

Events from the year 2016 in France.

Incumbents

 * President – François Hollande (Socialist)
 * Prime Minister – Manuel Valls (Socialist, until 6 December), Bernard Cazeneuve (Socialist, starting 6 December)

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.
 * 12 August – The mayor of Cannes bans the Islamic Burkini the swimsuits, citing a possible link to Islamic extremism. At least 20 other French towns, including Nice, subsequently joined the ban.
 * 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 (3 days).
 * 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.

January

 * 1 JanuaryJacques Deny, mathematician (b. 1916)
 * 2 JanuaryMichel Delpech, singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1946)
 * 4 January
 * André Turcat, aviator (b. 1921)
 * Michel Galabru, actor (b. 1922)
 * 5 January
 * Tancrède Melet, tightrope walker (b. 1983)
 * Pierre Boulez, composer, conductor and writer (b. 1925)
 * 6 JanuaryYves Vincent, actor (b. 1921)
 * 7 JanuaryAndré Courrèges, fashion designer (b. 1923)
 * 15 JanuaryRobert Darène, film director and actor (b. 1914)
 * 18 January
 * Michel Tournier, writer (b. 1924)
 * Leila Alaoui, artist and photographer (b. 1982)
 * 20 JanuaryEdmonde Charles-Roux, writer (b. 1920)
 * 21 JanuaryRobert Sassone, road racing cyclist (b. 1978)
 * 23 JanuaryBernard Quennehen, road racing cyclist (b. 1930)
 * 28 JanuaryEmile Destombes, Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1935)
 * 29 JanuaryJacques Rivette, film director and film critic (b. 1928)
 * 31 JanuaryBenoît Violier, chef (b. 1971)

February

 * 1 FebruaryBernard Piras, politician (b. 1942)
 * 7 FebruaryJuliette Benzoni, writer (b. 1920)
 * 8 FebruaryViolette Verdy, ballerina (b. 1933)
 * 17 FebruaryClaude Jeancolas, author (b. 1949)

March

 * 1 MarchJean Miotte, abstract painter (b. 1926)
 * 1 MarchCarole Achache, writer, photographer and actress (b. 1952)

April

 * 1 AprilAndré Villers, photographer (b. 1930)
 * 15 AprilAnne Grommerch, politician (b. 1970)

May

 * 1 MayJean-Marie Girault, politician (b. 1926)
 * 5 MaySiné, political cartoonist (b. 1928)

July

 * 1 JulyYves Bonnefoy, poet (b. 1923)
 * 2 JulyMichel Rocard, former Prime Minister (b. 1930)