French press review 24 July 2014

In the French press today France ponders its arms deal with Russia and Mona Lisa gets new opening hours.

Leading daily Le Monde wonders whether President François Hollande will go through with his arms deal with Russia despite mounting tension over Ukraine.

Condemning Russia's military actions in Ukraine while providing it with more weapons all the while seems a tad hypocritical. And it's not just Le Monde that thinks so. France's partners in the EU also have their doubts - and the European Council will attempt to come up with a common front on the matter today.

In the meantime, Hollande has confirmed that he will be delivering the first batch of military ships promised to Russia in October. To save face, Le Monde says, Hollande claimed he would only deliver the second batch of ships if he deemed Russia's behaviour appropriate.

France has come under fire from the US, who have called the deal "entirely inappropriate". UK Prime Minister David Cameron also condemned the deal.

Righ-wing Le Figaro wastes no time in pointing out that the UK has not stopped exporting arms to Russia either. According to a parliamentary report published 24 hours after Cameron's statement, only a small fraction of arms deal licences have been suspended.

Left-leaning Libération is concerned with transparency within the French parliament.

The government continues its attempts to crack down on corruption - especially after recent fraud scandals surrounding former president Nicolas Sarkozy and the right. MPs now have to declare the identity of all the people working with them - many of whom may actually be family members. Libé reports that one out of five French deputies employs their relatives as aides.

Catholic La Croix lays out the Socialist government's plan to slacken social protection around certain professions that have until now been strictly regulated. These jobs range widley from taxi drivers to doctors, midwives to ski trainers.

Until now they've have enjoyed a particular status in France, with some of the legislation in their favour dating back a few centuries.

But the government hopes to liberalise these sectors as soon as possible in the hope of creating more jobs and competition. La Croix points to Italy, where lobby groups have blocked similar plans.

And finally, in the age of shops open all day every day, why not have that apply to museums too?

Le Figaro reports that Paris will be following London, Madrid and New York's example and attempting to become a round-the-clock cultural capital. Soon you may be able to visit Mona Lisa any day of the week; with the Louvre - where she resides - the Musée d'Orsay and Versailles planning to stay open seven days a week, instead of five.

Similar decisions did cause a minor stir in Greece recently, where key sites like the Acropolis are also open throughout the week, causing some to worry about preservation. But Le Figaro is more worried about keeping French culture on the global stage. With a growing number of tourists and a dearth in funding, it says this may be the key.