Elisabeth Borne Unveils Government Roadmap for “Hundred Days of Appeasement” and Action

Elisabeth Borne unveils this Wednesday, April 26 from the Elysée the roadmap of the “hundred days of appeasement” and “action” decreed by Emmanuel Macron until July 14, and thus try to turn the page on the reform of retreats.

It is from the presidential palace that the Prime Minister will make public, after having exposed it to the table of the Council of Ministers, the content of the government program for the weeks to come. It will have test value for an executive still deprived of an absolute majority in the Assembly and weakened by the chaotic adoption of the pension reform.

Four main pillars will animate the government, announced Elisabeth Borne, who listed an extremely dense program.

• Work, full employment and reindustrialization

First priority: work, full employment and reindustrialisation. Elisabeth Borne announced that energy shields would be maintained and made an appointment in June for an update on anti-inflation measures.

She also called for a collective increase in wages, asking employers to take their share, while the minimum wage will be increased again on May 1, up by just over 6% in one year. “I hope that negotiations on the revaluation of salary grids will begin in the branches”, also asked the Prime Minister, while a bill to transpose the agreement on the sharing of value will be presented in the three month.

Elisabeth Borne also insisted on her desire to work with the social partners, “for a new pact for life at work”. Wear, employment of seniors, follow-up to the unemployment insurance reform … “all subjects are on the table to improve life at work”, assured the tenant of Matignon who also announced a bill mid- June on France Travail, to replace Pole emploi.

The green industry bill will be presented to the Council of Ministers in mid-May, then debated this summer by Parliament.

Second pillar rolled out by Elisabeth Borne: ecological transition. On this point, the Prime Minister, in charge of ecological planning, promised an acceleration for all sectors and at all levels over the next three months, affirming that “half of the efforts to be made will be requested from companies”.

The measures of the water plan “will bear fruit this summer”, she recalled in particular, while a bill on forest management, already voted in the Senate will be examined in the National Assembly in May.

On the thermal renovation of buildings, Elisabeth Borne announced the deployment of “my renov’ guide”, to help the French to get started, and the objective of at least one France Rénov’ counter per intermunicipal authority.

Regarding transport, the Prime Minister recalled the investment of 100 billion euros by 2024 for rail, which should in particular allow the deployment of RERs in around ten territories, and consultations on the decarbonisation of transport with the regional players at the beginning of May, while the rental of “clean” vehicles will be launched in the fall. “It was a commitment from the President of the Republic, it will be kept,” said Elisabeth Borne, who also indicated that the decarbonatin roadmap for the industry and in particular for the 50 most polluting sites will be finalized at the end of June.

• “Society of progress and public services”

Third pillar of this roadmap, Elisabeth Borne made several announcements concerning health, education and housing. By the end of 2024, the Health Insurance will finance 6,000 additional medical assistants, or 10,000 in total, to “free up medical time”. New places will also be created in nursing training, from the start of the next school year, i.e. 4,000 additional places in two years.

In June, a bill will also be debated to “guarantee access to care for everyone, wherever they live”. The executive also wants to give “more freedom” to regional actors, in particular by allowing the ARS to derogate from national rules if necessary.

On education, Elisabeth Borne announced from the start of the 2023 school year the replacement of short absences within schools themselves, as well as the generalization of weekly support or reinforcement sessions in maths and French. Measures which are added to the general increase in the salaries of teachers already announced by Emmanuel Macron.

Finally, on housing, Elisabeth Born indicated that she was mobilizing the Caisse des dépôts for the purchase of new homes that owners were unable to sell, and asking banks to facilitate access to loans and give better visibility on the evolution of zero interest loans.

• Justice and republican order

For the last “pillar” of her roadmap, Elisabeth Borne promised to continue increasing resources for the police, with, in particular, the creation of 200 additional gendarmerie brigades. Regarding the fight against illegal immigration, a “priority” of the government, the Prime Minister promised “more efficient procedures” for deportations, and improved integration for others. A bill on this basis has already been proposed to the Senate, recalled Elisabeth Borne, “but today there is no majority for such a text (…) This is not the time to launch a debate on a subject that could divide”, she estimated, ensuring “continue the exchanges. Anyway, a text will be presented in the fall “with the sole compass of efficiency”.

In the meantime, the government is banking on regulatory measures that do not need to go through the law. From next week, 150 police and gendarmes will be sent to the Maritime Alps and by the summer, an experiment of a “border force” will be launched, on the border with Italy, made up of customs officers, military and internal security forces. This experiment should be effective within 6 months.

Regarding digital, Elisabeth Borne announced a bill to “regulate and secure” in early May, for new measures against cyber-harassment and the exposure of children to pornography.

Faced with “misunderstandings about the judicial system”, Elisabeth Borne wants to “simplify, modernize and reduce the delays of justice.” 10,000 people will thus be recruited in addition, in particular magistrates and clerks. A bill will be debated in June.

Finally, in May, a fraud plan will be presented, with the first measures put in place before the summer, in particular to improve controls and fight against tax evasion.

All while promising to reconcile this roadmap with the budgetary trajectory and the control of public finances.

To conclude her speech of about twenty minutes, Elisabeth Borne made a point of presenting “three strong convictions”: the challenges will only be met with Europe, the ecological transition passes through planning – for which she is responsible -, and all decisions must be made “with our youth and their emancipation in mind”.

An action plan for young people will thus be presented by Matignon “in the coming weeks”, it will contain, for example, an emergency plan for degraded university accommodation.