In the aftermath of Emmanuel Macron's television intervention, the Prime Minister declined this Wednesday afternoon, before the National Assembly, the government's roadmap for the coming months. In front of an often agitated hemicycle, Jean Castex promised a "new method" to face the crisis.
On the health aspect, if the obligation to wear a mask has not been detailed, the Prime Minister wishes to "develop his wearing and intensify screening". Among the government's objectives, "put the daily lives of citizens at the heart of government priorities".
Coronavirus: Jean Castex to "develop the wearing of a mask" and "to intensify screening"
"Resolder France"
Described as an elected official in the field, specialist in social dialogue, Jean Castex started by addressing "France in the suburbs, France in the overseas territories, peripheral France", which, according to him, is "not heard and left behind ”. He thus wishes to "reconcile these very different France, to weld them or to re-weld them, and to strengthen confidence between the people and the elites, between the intermediary bodies which structure society". The day before, Emmanuel Macron had conceded management errors and said he wanted to "build more citizen trust".
Develop public action software
"Stewardship no longer follows," said Jean Castex, who wants the laws to be better understood by citizens. “It is the reign of public powerlessness which is the bed of discredit, of political will. It is urgentissimo to make evolve the software of the public action ”, he hammered. Praising a new stage in decentralization, the Prime Minister announced that "all job creation will be in departmental services".
As Emmanuel Macron had already announced, the number of places in civic service will be increased to 100,000. And the urgency will be focused on "the young people, the first affected by the crisis," said Jean Castex. A youth plan will be discussed this Friday with, as a first objective, "promoting hiring, with an exceptional device for reducing the cost of work up to € 4,000 per month for young people under 25 in all companies and less than a year ". In addition, the cost of meals for scholarship holders in university restaurants will be one euro.
The detailed recovery plan
The envelope of 100 billion euros promised the day before by Emmanuel Macron "will cover all the major economic sectors and all territories," assured Jean Castex. “It will first invest in our most precious asset: the women and men of this country, while preserving employment and partial activity arrangements, for 30 billion euros this year and 8 billion next year. in companies facing a lasting drop in order books, "he continued.
40 billion euros for businesses
The Prime Minister wants to release 40 billion to reduce dependence on "external partners". Taxes will be reduced, and the digital acceleration of businesses accelerated.
"Ecology is everyone's business"
Absent from his first speech during the handover, ecology will be the subject of a vast plan via in particular a program "small cities of tomorrow" which will be a "powerful accelerator of the ecological transition", outlined the Prime Minister. "This government wants to win the battle for the climate, the protection of nature and biodiversity." More than 20 billion euros will be invested in the thermal renovation of buildings, local and sustainable food will be developed, as well as the green energies of tomorrow, thus declared the Prime Minister, who also wishes to support the French in matters housing by financing thermal renovation projects, introduce a conversion bonus for transport. Finally, an extensive bike plan will be presented.
Companies helped, shareholders watched
According to Jean Castex, the government will be attentive to the dividends paid by the companies which will have received aid during the crisis. “Every two months, a specific point will be made on the recovery plan, on its impacts and results. Attention will be paid to streamlining and simplifying procedures. The companies which will benefit from aid under this plan or will register within the framework of the long-term partial activity will be invited to a moderation in the distribution of the dividends as during the health crisis ”.
No budgetary austerity
How to finance this recovery plan? “The answer cannot be budgetary austerity which can only make matters worse. We must together assume this massive investment which, and this is a great innovation compared to 2008, benefits from exceptional support from the European Union that France has successfully negotiated, ”replied the Prime Minister.
In addition, support measures for precarious workers will be taken, he said, in particular with the revaluation of the back-to-school allowance, exceptionally from September. Matignon then clarified to AFP that this revaluation would be 100 euros.
The health sector, as caregivers have been asking for months, will be upgraded, in particular thanks to the agreements signed with Ségur de la Santé: an additional six billion euros will be invested in the health system. "We must attract more doctors to our territories, by removing the administrative burdens that weigh on them," detailed Jean Castex.
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Finally, the French purse should not be affected, because according to the Prime Minister "it is not possible, in the context we are going through, to ask the French for an additional fiscal effort".
Fight "against radical Islamism in all its forms"
Addressing the security aspect of his speech, Jean Castex praised secularism, "cardinal value", of the Republic. And considered that the fight against radical Islamism "in all its forms" remained "one of the major concerns" of his government. A bill against separatism in order to prevent certain groups from "closing in on ethnic or religious affiliation" will be presented at the start of the school year.
"It cannot be more tolerated that ultraviolet minorities attack the security forces and systematically tarnish the demonstrations on the public highway and their legitimate demands, nor is it acceptable that violence is perpetrated on people in because of their religious practice, their sexual orientation or their skin color, "he continued, in this security aspect of the speech.
Justice "of everyday life" will be developed with the creation of local judges specially assigned to the repression of daily incivility.