At the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi co-hosted by Kenyan President William Ruto, French President Emmanuel Macron announced €23 billion in investment for Africa — €14 billion from French public and private entities and €9 billion from African investors — targeting energy transition, digital and AI, the maritime economy and agriculture, with a projected 250,000 direct jobs in France and Africa. Macron also backed France's new law easing the return of colonial-era looted artefacts, calling the shift "irreversible and unstoppable." Deals worth more than €850 million were announced over the weekend, including CMA CGM's €700 million plan to modernise a terminal at Kenya's Mombasa port.

French prosecutors on Monday requested that former President Nicolas Sarkozy be found guilty of criminal conspiracy in the appeal trial over alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. Advocate General Damien Brunet described Sarkozy as the "instigator of meetings with Libyan dignitaries" and said the conspiracy "places itself at the highest level of gravity that the Republic has known." The prosecution also sought similar convictions for former ministers Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant.

The French Senate gave final approval on Monday, May 11, to a sweeping anti-fraud bill that the government says will bring 1.5 billion euros into state coffers. The legislation, which grew from 27 articles to more than 100 during parliamentary debates, includes measures to suspend unemployment benefits, tighten controls on social welfare fraud, and create a new “flagrance sociale” procedure for businesses suspected of undeclared work. Left-wing lawmakers criticized the text for targeting individuals more heavily than corporations.

Édouard Philippe, mayor of Le Havre and presidential candidate, accused a National Rally mayor in Vaucluse of playing a nostalgic song for Marshal Pétain during May 8 commemorations, calling it proof the party has not changed. Speaking to Horizons party cadres in Reims on May 10, he said the RN is “a little the new 'en même temps'.” Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella denounced the accusation as a “fake news” that “sullies millions of voters.”

Clément Beaune, former minister and High Commissioner for Strategy, argued in an interview that to defeat the far-right in the 2027 presidential election, a single candidate must emerge from a broad coalition spanning from the republican left (breaking with La France Insoumise) to the moderate right (breaking with the National Rally). He stressed the urgency of uniting behind one candidate from the first round, which he said will effectively be a second round, and indicated the candidate should be decided by autumn. Beaune also discussed autonomous vehicles, TotalEnergies taxation, public audiovisual regulation, and the need for European-level action on exceptional profits.

Caroline Cayeux, former French minister for Local Authorities, was sentenced on April 1, 2025 to ten months suspended prison, a €100,000 fine, and two years of ineligibility for tax fraud and false declaration of assets. She understated her wealth by approximately €11.7 million, with a net reconstructed matrimonial estate of over €20 million. The case was triggered by a referral from the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP), leading to her resignation from government in November 2022.

Sixteen French families, part of the 'Algos Victima' collective, have filed a criminal complaint against TikTok for alleged exploitation of minors' vulnerability, claiming the platform's content contributed to self-harm, anorexia, depression, and suicides among their children. The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation in October 2025. The case highlights ongoing legal and regulatory pressure on social media platforms regarding child safety, with a French bill to ban under-15s from social media pending.

French farmers from the agricultural union Coordination Rurale protested outside the TotalEnergies refinery in Feyzin on Monday, dumping piles of waste near the entrance. The demonstration targeted higher diesel prices, rising fertiliser costs, and falling cereal prices, which farmers say are putting severe pressure on their livelihoods. Riot police monitored the protest, but tanker trucks were still able to enter and leave the site. The action is part of a series of repeated demonstrations by French farmers over production costs, environmental regulations, and import competition.