The solemn speech lasted 1 hour 20 minutes. From the podium of the Assembly, Gabriel Attal presented this Tuesday the main orientations of his government and detailed his method. The youngest Prime Minister of the Republic announced a salvo of measures concerning themes such as agriculture, housing, juvenile justice, health and ecology. Did you miss this great moment in French politics this afternoon? No problem, 20 minutes summarizes the main points for you.
Measures for farmers
The Prime Minister promised “to be there” to respond to the farmers’ crisis. Farmers who have not yet received the balance of aid from the European agricultural support policy (CAP) for 2023 will be credited “by March 15,” assured Gabriel Attal.
The delay in the payment of CAP subsidies is part of the long list of grievances of farmers who are demonstrating almost everywhere in France. France, the leading agricultural power in the EU, is also the leading beneficiary of the CAP, with more than nine billion euros annually to be paid to farmers.
Gabriel Attal also indicated that the government intended to “strengthen” a tax exemption measure intended for cattle breeders. Finally, the “emergency fund” promised to wine growers will be released “before the end of the week”.
A plan to reduce plastic pollution targeting 50 sites
The Prime Minister announced his intention to launch a plan to reduce plastic pollution targeting the 50 sites that generate the most plastic packaging in France. The stakes are high: plastic packaging is mainly used for packaging, transport and protection of products consumed on a daily basis by the French. They represent a third of the plastic used but almost 60% of that found in nature and the oceans.
Gabriel Attal, on the other hand, did not detail what form the new plan could take concerning packaging generating sites, nor which companies could be concerned.
The Flamanville EPR will be operational “this year”
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal assured that the Flamanville EPR, construction of which has been ongoing since 2007, would be “operational” this year, during his general policy speech to the National Assembly.
A reform of the natural disaster regime
“We will evolve the natural disaster regime to modernize it and prevent certain insurers from abandoning the territories most at risk,” promised the head of government during his general policy speech to the National Assembly. This scheme, created in 1982, makes it possible to reimburse damage after severe bad weather. But it shows its limits especially as natural disasters multiply, increasingly linked to climate change.
The sums at stake are enormous: natural events are expected to cost a total of 143 billion euros over the period 2020-2050, almost twice as much as in 1989-2019, according to France Assureurs. Some insurers are already refusing to insure property in exposed areas, or are increasing their rates. Former insurer Thierry Langreney was commissioned by the government to carry out a study on the insurability of climate risks. He must return his copy in the coming weeks. Another mission was launched for local authority insurance.
An “ecological civic service” which will bring together 50,000 young people in 2027
Gabriel Attal wanted to create an “ecological civic service” which will bring together in 2027 50,000 young people wishing to “make a concrete commitment to the climate”. “Successfully making the ecological transition is the challenge of our generation. Our youth want to get involved, participate, help. She wonders how to be useful for the planet,” he said.
A generalization of the Universal National Service in 2026
Gabriel Attal announced the launch of “work” with a view to generalizing the Universal National Service (SNU) “at the start of the 2026 school year”. President Emmanuel Macron announced in mid-January that his government would move towards “a generalization of universal national service” in second grade. A campaign promise from the Head of State, the SNU was launched in 2019. It includes a “cohesion stay” and a “general interest mission” and so far only concerns young volunteers.
A new “equivalent” sentence for those under 16
Gabriel Attal announced the establishment of “work of educational interest” for juvenile delinquents under the age of 16, which he defined as “equivalent” to sentences of general interest. “I will not resign ourselves to preferring to wait before imposing a heavy sentence, when very often, it is very early that we should have acted,” added the Prime Minister. The new head of government called for “a return to a clear principle: ‘you break, you repair, you dirty, you clean; you challenge authority, we teach you to respect it'”.
A bill on Mayotte
The Prime Minister announced a bill on Mayotte in order to “deal with the exceptional challenges” facing this territory. “Each of our public policies must take into account the specificities of Overseas Territories”, which “concentrate all the challenges” between high cost of living, employment, security and the fight against illegal immigration, he underlined. Mayotte has also been facing a serious water crisis since the end of August 2023 due to a historic drought, coupled with a lack of infrastructure and investment.
A tax for missed medical appointments
The head of government promised to fight against the difficulties of access to healthcare for the French, in particular by establishing a financial sanction for medical appointments not honored by patients. “I want a simple principle, which translates into clear measures this year: when you have a doctor’s appointment and you don’t come without warning, you pay,” said the Prime Minister. Unkept medical appointments waste “millions of hours” of medical time, he added.
He also threatened to restore on-call obligations for private doctors, in departments where the Access to Care Service (SAS) would not be able to be set up.
A bill on active assistance in dying examined “before summer”
The bill on active assistance in dying will be examined “before the summer”, declared the Prime Minister, while promising to “considerably” strengthen palliative care units. At the end of December, President Emmanuel Macron indicated that he would present the “contours of the text” on this active assistance in dying “in February” after the announcement “in January” of a ten-year strategic plan on palliative care, still not revealed to date.
Elimination of end-of-rights allowance and unemployment insurance under financial supervision
The head of government announced the abolition of the specific solidarity allowance (ASS) for unemployed people at the end of their rights and will request a review of the rules of unemployment insurance if its financial trajectory “deviates”. The ASS “allows, without working, to validate quarters” while “we consider that retirement must be the fruit of work”, argued the Prime Minister, highlighting his desire to “fight inactivity traps”.
“So we will propose the switch to the solidarity allowance specific to the RSA and the elimination of this allowance,” continued Gabriel Attal. At the end of 2019, 351,000 people received the specific solidarity allowance (ASS), according to the statistical department of social ministries (Drees).
“Staying the course” of a public deficit below 3% of GDP in 2027
The Prime Minister affirmed that he wanted to “stay the course” of a return of the public deficit below 3% of GDP by 2027, thanks in particular to “controlling our spending” and not to “too many taxes”. Gabriel Attal said he also wanted to “debureaucratize France”, referring to “60 billion euros” lost each year “because of the procedures and complexities of daily life”.
“Unlock” the housing sector and review the SRU law
Gabriel Attal announced “a shock of offers” to “unlock” the housing sector in crisis, by simplifying access to MaPrimeRénov’ and reviewing the calculation of the social housing quota imposed by the SRU law in each municipality to promote social diversity.
The head of the executive also said he wanted to support the social housing sector via a “very long-term loan of 2 billion euros”. This sector is going through an unprecedented crisis with 2.6 million households waiting for social housing, an unprecedented figure.
Four day week
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal asked his ministers to “experiment with a four-day week, without reducing working hours” in “their central and decentralized administrations”