2019 in France

Incumbents

• President – Emmanuel Macron
• Prime Minister – Édouard Philippe

  Events

January

• 12 January – 2019 Paris explosion: An explosion occurs at a bakery on Rue de Trevise in Paris' 9th arrondissement, killing four people and injuring forty-seven others.
• 14 January – The Brest University Hospital Center becomes the first hospital in the world to acquire a PET scan.
• 15 January – Launch of the Great National Debate
• 22 January – Signing of the Aachen Treaty in Aachen, 56 years to the day after the signing of the Élysée Treaty

  February

• 5 February – February 2019 Paris fire: A suspected arson at an apartment block on Rue Erlanger in Paris' 16th arrondissement kills ten people, making it the deadliest fire in Paris since 2005.
• 6 February – Matthieu Orphelin, member of the French National Assembly for Maine-et-Loire's 1st constituency, close to the former minister of ecology Nicolas Hulot, leaves the LREM's parliamentary group to protest against the government's ecological policy.
• 7 February – Following the growing diplomatic tensions between the French government and the Italian government, the French ambassador to Italy, Christian Masset is recalled to France.
• 8 February – 34th Victoires de la Musique
• 13 February –
• *Alain Juppé, Jacques Mézard and François Pillet are proposed to enter the Constitutional Council to replace Lionel Jospin, Michel Charasse and Jean-Jacques Hyest
• *25th Victoires de la musique classique
• 19 February – Alexandre Benalla is remanded for violating the judicial review he was subjected to.
• 22 February – 44th César Awards
• 24 February – Nearly 2000 hectares ravaged by 49 fire departures in less than 24 hours in Corsica.
• 25 February – The Secretary of State for the Digital Sector, Mounir Mahjoubi, reveals that an attack on the central Internet directory ICANN is underway.

  March

• 2 March – Riots in Grenoble, due to the death of two teenagers riding a scooter who collided with a bus while being pursued by a police patrol.
• 12 March – Cargo ship Grande America sinks after catching fire on 10 March in the Bay of Biscay, approximately west of France, causing a 2,200-tonne oil spill.
• 16 March – Yellow vests movement: Protests against President Emmanuel Macron enter a fourth month in Paris. Tear gas is fired at protesters throwing stones at riot police in front of the Arc de Triomphe, news stands are torched at the Champs-Élysées, and a branch of Banque Tarneaud is burned. More than 80 arrests are made. Businesses around the Champs-Élysées are looted.
• 27 March – Nathalie Loiseau, Benjamin Griveaux and Mounir Mahjoubi leave the government.
• 31 March – Amélie de Montchalin, Sibeth Ndiaye and Cédric O enter the government to replace the previous three.

  April

• 15 April – A major fire engulfs Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, resulting in the roof and main spire collapsing.

  May

• 14 May –
• *National tribute to Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, soldiers killed during the fight of Gorom-Gorom.
• *Beginning of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival
• 24 May – The explosion of a parcel bombed in Lyon injures 14 people.
• 26 May – 2019 European Parliament election

  June

• 5 June – Valérie Pécresse, president of the Regional Council of Île-de-France and Robin Reda member of the French National Assembly for Essonne's 7th constituency quit The Republicans.
• 6 June – Commemorations mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
• 7 June –
• * A SNSM boat capsizes in front of Les Sables d'Olonne during a rescue mission of a fisherman caught in the Storm Miguel. 3 rescuers and the fisherman drown.
• * Aina Kuric, member of the French National Assembly for Marne's 2nd constituency, quits the LREM, having been a prominent critic of the asylum-immigration bill proposed by the government in July 2018, but stays within the LREM's parliamentary group.
• * Beginning of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
• 9 June – A driver refuses to obey a check and hits 2 children in Lorient after a chase, one of whom dies of his injuries.
• 12 June – Sandrine Josso, member of the French National Assembly for Loire-Atlantique's 7th constituency, quits LREM and the LREM parliamentary group to join the Liberties and Territories group.
• 22 June – Steve Maia Caniço's case begins after the latter's disappearance following a police charge against a group of party-goers.
• 24 June – France is affected by the early European heat wave, absolute temperature records are beaten. Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard, Hérault and Vaucluse have been put under red alert due to potentially very dangerous temperatures. On 25 June Paris reaches its hottest July day on record, with a temperature of 42.6 °C.
• 24 June – Agnès Thill, member of the French National Assembly for Oise's 2nd constituency, is excluded from LREM and the LREM's parliamentary group following homophobic remarks.
• 27 June – The 2019 National Diploma session, originally scheduled for 27 and 28 June, is postponed to 1 and 2 July due to the extreme heat.

  July

• 6 July – Death of Patricia Gallerneau, member of the French National Assembly for Vendée's 2nd constituency. She is replaced by her substitute.
• 6 to 28 July – 2019 Tour de France.
• 11 July – After a decade, the end of Vincent Lambert case following the death of the latter, who had been brain dead for 10 years.
• 16 July – Resignation of the Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition François de Rugy following Mediapart's revelations of his use of public funds. Élisabeth Borne succeeds him.

  August

• 2 August – Crash of a Tracker 22, water bomber plane, near Générac. Franck Chesneaux, a former fighter pilot and a Tracker 22's pilot, died in an operation fighting major fires around Générac. During his national tribute, he is awarded the Legion of Honour and the Medal for internal security, posthumously.
• 4 August – Franky Zapata becomes the first person to fly over English Channel on his own invention, the Flyboard Air.
• 6 August – Jean-Mathieu Michel, Mayor of Signes, is overturned by a van that illegally deposited rubble on the side of the road. The mayor will die soon after.
• 28 August –
• *A chemical accident injures 14 people, two of them seriously, in a company located in Avon and Samois-sur-Seine.
• *Emmanuel Macron nominates Sylvie Goulard as candidate for France as European Commissioner.

  September

• 3 September – Jean-Paul Delevoye and Jean-Baptiste Djebbari enter the government.
• 8 September – A fire ravages 300 hectares and a house in Loupian.
• 9 September – Albane Gaillot, member of the French National Assembly for Val-de-Marne's 11th constituency, quits the LREM, deploring the vote on "laws restricting individual freedoms".
• 13 September – The mayor of Levallois-Perret Patrick Balkany is sentenced to 4 years in prison with immediate incarceration and 10 years of ineligibility for tax evasion, after a highly publicized three-month trial.
• 26 September – Rouen Lubrizol factory fire : Fire in a chemical factory of the company Lubrizol classified Seveso II high threshold. A thick plume of black smoke forms, reaching more than 20 km. As part of the management of the accident, various measures are taken for the protection of the population.
• 29 September – popular tribute to Jacques Chirac, who died on 26 September ; then national mourning and funeral on 30 September.

  October

• 3 October – Paris police headquarters stabbing
• 28 October – Bayonne mosque shooting

  November

• 11 November – the War Memorial for France in External Operations is inaugurated in Paris.
• 25 November – 2019 Ménaka mid-air collision: a collision between two helicopters results in the death of 13 French soldiers in Mali.
• 29 November – Pascale Fontenel-Personne, member of the French National Assembly for Sarthe's 3rd constituency, quits LREM, following her disagreement with the functioning of the party.

  December

• 5 December – Start of a social movement to protest against a reform of the pension system.
• 14 December – Miss France 2020.
• 16 December – Resignation of Jean-Paul Delevoye, High Commissioner for Pensions.
• 18 December – Laurent Pietraszewski is appointed Secretary of State for Pensions.
• 31 December –final shutdown of the Longwave transmitter Europe 1.

  Deaths

January

• 3 January
• * Roger Bastié, French rugby coach and player
• * Anne-Marie Minvielle, French journalist
• * Christine de Rivoyre, French journalist and writer
• 7 January
• * Guy Charmot, French military doctor and member of the French resistance during World War II
• * Aline Kiner, French journalist and novelist
• * Bernard Tchoullouyan, French judoka
• 8 January – Pierre Barillet, French playwright
• 10 January
• * Patrick Malrieu, French activist of Breton traditional culture
• * René Mouille, French aeronautical and space engineer
• 11 January – Michel Dejouhannet, French professional road bicycle racer
• 13 January
• * Pierre Alard, French athlete
• * Guy Sénac, French footballer
• 15 January – José Souto, French professional footballer and manager
• 16 January – Denis Sire, French comics artist and illustrator
• 20 January – François Perrot, French actor
• 21 January
• * Marcel Azzola, French accordionist
• * Henri, Count of Paris, Head of the House of Orléans
• 26 January
• * Jean Guillou, French composer, organist, and pianist
• * Michel Legrand, French composer
• 27 January – Henry Chapier, French journalist
• 29 January – Jean-Pierre Boccardo, French sprinter
• 31 January
• * Pierre Nanterme, French business executive
• * Georges Sarre, French politician