Surge in British applications to be French

PARIS, France: The number of British citizens applying for French nationality more than tripled last year compared with 2015 as Brexit looms, according to figures obtained by Le Monde newspaper on Tuesday. The figures showed 1,363 Britons in France applied to become French citizens in 2016, compared with 385 the previous year, a 254-percent increase.  The figure is low compared to the number of British citizens living in France, which is estimated to be as high as 400,000. The newspaper also said the number of applications had risen sharply since January this year, especially in areas popular with British expatriates such as Brittany in the northwest. Britain on Monday accepted the European Union’s timetable for talks on leaving the bloc, in an apparent climbdown on the first day of formal negotiations in Brussels. The talks started a year after the seismic referendum vote to leave the EU on June 23, 2016. and are aimed at achieving a final deal by 2019.