Plan for Marseille, France 2030 investments or youth engagement contract: the National Assembly is preparing to vote at first reading on Tuesday, November 16, the 2022 draft budget, completed during the debates and presidential announcements, and deemed
"electoralist"
by oppositions.
The deputies will vote at the end of the afternoon on this last budget of the five-year term, revenues and expenses included, during a solemn vote after the session of questions to the government.
The finance bill (PLF) will continue its journey through the Senate before the parliamentary shuttle and its final adoption before Christmas.
Read also France 2030: an amendment to the 2022 budget to ... 34 billion
After
“whatever the cost”
during the health crisis, the government defends a budget of
“normalization”
and investments to
“support the recovery”
. The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire praises the new growth, 6.25% expected in 2021 and 4% in 2022, and the drop in unemployment. At the start of the debates in early October, the oppositions criticized a
"golf" course
, a
"budget with holes"
suspended from the announcements of Emmanuel Macron, accused of being already in the campaign for a second term.
Between the presentation of the draft budget and the end of its first reading examination at the Palais Bourbon, 11.8 billion in additional expenditure was added, to bring the deficit forecast to 5% of GDP in 2022, with a negative balance of 155 billion euros.
An electoral budget
The method has often bristled with opposition, especially the relatively rapid adoption of
“the most expensive amendment of the Fifth Republic”
(Valérie Rabault, PS). This is a promise of 34 billion euros in investments to roll out over several years the France 2030 investment plan announced by Emmanuel Macron to
“reindustrialize”
the country and
“decarbonize”
the economy. In 2022, the first tranche of this plan represents only 3.5 billion euros, but right and left see the measure as the symbol of an
“electoral”
budget
, which
“spans”
the presidential election.
“It is above all on the substance that this amendment is historic.
In the medium term, in the long term, it was noted that France was going to invest 34 billion euros in future sectors such as nuclear power or low-carbon aircraft
,
”
responds the general rapporteur for the budget Laurent Saint-Martin ( LREM).
"This is major because if we stopped after
" whatever the cost "
and the recovery plan, we would have done only half of the way,"
said the deputy.
To read also "France 2030": the mistakes not to be made again
Another addition, some 550 million for the
"youth engagement contract"
presented by the President of the Republic on November 2. The system will offer young people under 25 who are furthest from employment and studies an allowance of up to 500 euros per month in exchange for 15 to 20 hours of training and support. It must target "at least 400,000 young people in 2022". The left-wing opposition, which pleaded for an extension of the RSA to 18-24 year-olds, considers the measure
"late"
and
"insufficient"
.
Faced with soaring energy prices, the National Assembly also validated the government's
“tariff shield”
: freezing regulated gas prices and limiting the regulated electricity tariff to 4%.
The inflation allowance of 100 euros appears for its part in the corrected budget for 2021.
Read alsoGreen light from the National Assembly to the Youth Engagement Contract
The government has further supplemented this 2022 PLF with its plan for Marseille, including 30 million in subsidies and 100 million in reimbursable advances from 2022 for transport.
Or by measures for the harkis, with a first tranche of 50 million euros from 2022 to materialize the bill of
"reparation"
promised to these Algerians who fought alongside the French army during the Algerian war.
Side ministerial spending, the government assumes increases for the sovereign (Armies, Interior, Justice), big winner of this year 2022. The High Council of Public Finances (HCFP) regrets an insufficient debt reduction effort.
And the right-wing opposition castigates a
“spending euphoria”
.
At Bercy, it is suggested that growth above expectations in 2021 could make it possible to garner
"3 to 5 billion euros"
in additional revenue, which
"would go to reducing the deficit and the debt"
, according to Bruno The mayor.
