It took me a little longer to get into the 2nd link, but eventually it let me in. This one was a little more technical in nature and gave a better idea of how the French manage their wastes. Although a bit vague, this sentence

"Spent fuel from the reactors is sent to Cogema's 1600 t/yr La Hague plant in Normandy for reprocessing. This extracts the plutonium and uranium, leaving high-level wastes which are vitrified and stored there for later disposal."

flatly states that the French do chemically remove the fission products and stabilize them in glass, a very difficult and dangerous process I alluded to in my previous post. The fact that they are not yet buried in stable geological formations (the French have troublesome NIMBYs of their own, apparently) is not critical. Once they are vitrified, they can be safely stored above ground until that decision is finalized.

If I have interpreted all this material correctly, then I must concede the Frogs have got it right, and we have a lot to learn from their program.
A great example of a properly run government bureaucracy (sorry, I just couldn't resist that, Tom!).

Thanks for the research, as always, you have an uncanny ability to find this stuff.