3. French bureaucracy can be a hindrance
3. French bureaucracy can be a hindrance (Image 3 of 13)
Rich: It seems like the Chateau Monty project was a hugely valuable learning experience for you – what are the key things you took from the project that could be applied to others planning to move abroad?
Monty: I structured my project to avoid as much paperwork and bureaucracy as possible, because it just ends up costing lots of money, wastes time and can be incredibly frustrating. If you speak to anybody who's ever tried to get anything done in France, they'll tell you about the French love of bureaucracy and paperwork! They invented it - it's a French word!
Life's too short for that and it can waste so much money - I want to make an everyday wine that doesn't cost the earth and getting caught in bureaucracy means the cost of the product rises. I've seen people on the day of harvest having a French bureaucrat come up to them and tell them they can't continue, not because they're doing anything dishonest but because they didn't sign the right form or present the right piece of paper, and they get blocked.
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