New Year's Eve - French people stock up on firecrackers in Germany
Due to a far-reaching ban on fireworks in Alsace, many French people from the region close to the border are stocking up on fireworks, firecrackers and rockets in Germany. Since a ban on the sale of fireworks came into force on December 4, 850 kilos of banned fireworks have been discovered by police and customs in the Haut-Rhin department alone, according to Prefect Thierry Queffélec in Mulhouse, as reported by BFMTV on Saturday.
On Friday alone, investigators in the city confiscated 18,500 fireworks weighing around 500 kilos, which may have come from Germany. France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin spoke of a record quantity. According to a report in the newspaper "Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace", the suspect, who was in Germany at the time of the search of an annex, is said to have sold the fireworks, which are banned in Alsace, via social networks. The value of the fireworks was estimated at around 200,000 euros.
The small border traffic in firecrackers also works in the other direction, as the newspaper "Le Républicain Lorrain" reported. In Lorraine, where the rules for fireworks are less strict than in Alsace and there is a corresponding sale, a number of Saarlanders mingled with the customers. As a fireworks dealer in Stiring-Wendel, just over the border near Saarbrücken, told the newspaper, although firecrackers are often cheaper in Germany, fireworks batteries in France contain more powder than in Germany, which attracts customers across the border.
In France, many municipalities have banned fireworks for fire safety reasons or out of concern about riots, such as Paris and Strasbourg. Certain categories of fireworks are reserved for professionals anyway. Many cities have organized firework shows instead. The most famous is certainly the one on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, where a million people welcomed in the New Year last year.
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- Despite a firecracker ban in Mulhouse, France, many locals from the Alsace region are purchasing fireworks in nearby Saarbrücken, Germany, to meet their needs for New Year's Eve celebrations.
- BFM TV reported that over 850 kilos of banned fireworks have been seized by police and customs in the Haut-Rhin department, as French residents turn to Germany for their Fireworks needs.
- On the Turn of the year, a suspect was found selling Fireworks banned in Alsace on social media, with an estimated value of around 200,000 euros, according to "Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace."
- In comparison, fireworks batteries sold in France contain more powder than those in Germany, making them an appealing option for Saarbrücken residents who cross the border for their Fireworks needs.
- Given fire safety concerns and potential riots, many French municipalities have banned fireworks, but firework shows have been organized as alternatives, such as the famous one on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
- According to "Le Républicain Lorrain," Saarlanders are also stocking up on fireworks in Lorraine, where regulations are less strict, illustrating the cross-border needs for Fireworks during the New Year's Eve celebrations.
Source: www.stern.de
