by Nicole Teke | Dec 13, 2015 | Opinion
In the past few months, basic income has been widely debated in the French public arena and mainstream media are starting to pay attention to it. This trend has been influenced by the announcement of pilot projects in the Netherlands and Finland, and the upcoming referendum in Switzerland.
Recently, there have been important developments in the national political arena too. On November 13, an amendment to the 2016 Budget Law proposing the adoption of a basic income was debated in the National Assembly, one of the two houses of Parliament. The proposal was introduced by Frédéric Lefebvre, MP from the right-wing party Les Républicains. The amendment was not approved, but the chairman of the Finance Commission, Gilles Carrez, approved the creation of a multi-party parliamentary working group on the issue.
This constitutes a real improvement in terms of political discussions on this topic. However, BIEN French chapter, the French Movement for Basic Income (FMBI), has expressed concern about the proposed measure. The amendment promotes the introduction of a universal income for all French citizens – but not other residents – that would replace all welfare benefits. All unemployment and housing benefits, as well as student allowances and old-age pensions, would subsequently be suppressed. (You can read the amendment in French here.)
Most people who depend on their social benefits would be strongly affected. The amendment seems to have been designed to reduce public debt, without taking into consideration the negative impact it could have on the welfare system. The proposed basic income does not sit well with FMBI’s stance. A basic income should not undermine the welfare system, but reinforce it. It should also promote more freedom of choice.
The amendment mentions recent developments in Finland. In the Finnish case too, there are concerns that the government might be experimenting with a basic income to replace other social benefits and reduce public spending. As far as the French proposal goes, it does not consider the implications for citizens and residents, especially those in the most vulnerable groups. It also fails to look at how the proposed basic income would enhance individual freedom of choice.
This is just the beginning of a serious political discussion. There is still a lot of work to do to develop proposals about the kind of basic income France should adopt. Yet, the fact that there is growing debate in all spheres of French society is a positive and welcome development.
by Stanislas Jourdan | Jul 9, 2015 | News
Announcements from Finland and the Netherlands on the launch of basic income pilots are making ripples across Europe. In France, the Southern Region of Aquitaine might well be the next place where experiments are conducted to assess the viability of basic income.
Last Monday, July 6th, the regional Council based in Bordeaux voted through a motion marking the start of a process towards running basic income pilots in the region.
Despite a heated debate before the vote, the motion proposed by Green Council member Martine Alcorta was passed unanimously. In fact, several political groups opposed the motion, but decided to abstain when it came to a vote (see the video of the plenary here).
The president of the Council, Alain Rousset in particular rejected the proposal, which he believes is “against the work ethic”. But in the end he also stated he “could not oppose generosity”.
The motion was obviously supported by the Greens, but also with enthusiasm by the radical left coalition “Aquitaine Région Citoyenne” and by one right-wing member and deputy mayor of the city of Bordeaux, who explained her position to the online newspaper Rue89:
« I have always been in favour of the thinking around basic income. Many people don’t get by despite the number of benefits and social assistance schemes. We have to simplify everything: both administrative procedures for citizens and the workload for social workers.
Basic income is not an incentive not to work. On the contrary, it reveals people’s capacities once freed from pressures. We have to launch new experiments with a new spirit. We need new proposals, new models from what currently exist, and to think of a new system. »
So far, the adopted motion only commits the Council to start a call for projects to assess the feasibility of basic income pilots in the region. Under french law, such pilots could only be conducted under the direction of a voluntary department (sub-sections of regions in France), with the agreement of the government. The region would only provide financial support.
The initiator of the motion suggests that the pilots should be based on a proposal drafted last March by BIEN’s Affiliate, the French Movement for Basic Income, to reform the existing means-tested minimum income in France, the “Active Solidarity Income” (RSA). Under this proposal, the RSA would be automatically distributed with no work requirement and along with a taxation system more friendly towards part-time workers.
The current system suffers from many flaws. It is complex, discriminatory, household-based, and moreover it discourages people from pursuing paid work – or encourages them to instead pursue undeclared work – because of its threshold effects. Because of this, the RSA is neglected by the very people who need it. The take-up of RSA is only just over 50% of those eligible.
The proposal being pushed forward is certainly not a perfectly unconditional basic income, but it would constitute a solid step in that direction.
“This is a unique and unprecedented decision in France,” said Green local representative Marc Morisset. The Green Party of France has officially supported basic income since November 2013. Its members have been increasingly active in the promotion of the idea. Last February, another Green regional council member in Rhone-Alpes made a similar proposal, but unsuccessfully.
After this historic vote, the next step will be to finance a feasibility study, find a voluntary department and locate possible areas for experiment.
by Stanislas Jourdan | May 21, 2015 | News
According to a recent opinion poll, 60% of people in France support the idea of a Basic Income.
The survey was sponsored by national television channel i-télé, and the liberal think tank Génération Libre [Free Generation], as part of a survey focusing on ‘Liberalism and French people’.
The 968 respondents, representative of the French population, were asked: “Are you in favour of the introduction of a guaranteed Basic Income for all citizens that would substitute most existing benefits?”
16% said they were “absolutely in favour” of the concept, while 44% were “somewhat in favour”.
Although there is stronger support for Basic Income among left-wing citizens, the poll shows a majority in favour on all sides of the political spectrum.
The survey was released while the French Movement for Basic Income was holding a major conference at the French Senate (the upper house of Parliament), where several MPs and former minister Delphine Batho expressed their interest in the idea.
The last and first opinion poll in France about Basic Income was released in 2012, and showed 45% of the French were in favour of the idea.
Credit picture CC Dave Shea
by Liam Upton | May 20, 2015 | News
A proposal by the EELV party in the Rhône-Alpes regional council for a feasibility study into a potential Basic Income pilot programme, has been defeated. The defeat came during the budget debate at the end of January this year.
The proposal, in the form of an amendment to the council’s 2015 budget, called for €80,000 to be set aside for a preliminary investigation into a ‘Universal Existence Income’ pilot programme in the Rhône-Alpes region.
EELV member, Olivier Keller, received a round of applause after making the proposal. During his speech he said, “Beyond clichés, it’s a matter of nothing less than giving meaning back to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which links dignity, due to every one of us, to the ability to fulfill one’s needs”
The EELV are part of the governing coalition in Rhône-Alpes, where fresh regional elections are due this year.
For more information, see:
Language: French
Stanislas Jourdan, “EELV propose la mise en place d’une expérimentation de revenu d’existence en région Rhône-Alpes [EELV propose implementation of a Universal Existence Income experiment in Rhône-Alpes region]”, Mouvement Français pour un Revenu de Base, 3 February 2015
Europe Écologie Les Verts, “Budget Primitif 2015 Étude Pour Une Experimentation Du Revenu Universel D’Éxistence En Région Rhône-Alpes / Auvergne [Preliminary Budget 2015 Study for an Experiment into a Universal Existence Income in Rhône-Alpes / Auvergne Region]”, Europe Écologie Les Verts, 29 January 2015
by Stanislas Jourdan | May 6, 2015 | News
The French Senate will host a one-day conference about basic income on May 19th. The conference is organised by the French Movement for a Basic Income (Affiliate of BIEN) and sponsored by Socialist Senator Gaetan Gorce.
The conference entitled “Basic Income: a social transformation lever for the economy of tomorrow” will include international panelists such as BIEN co-founder Philippe van Parijs, P2P Foundation’s Michel Bauwens, and several french personalities advocating for basic income including Marc de Basquiat, Baptiste Mylondo, Jean-Marie Monnier, and Gaspard Koenig.
The conference’s program covers diverse topics such as automation and the digitial economy, the evolution of work, work inclusion and unconditional income, the financing of basic income, with a final focus on how to implement basic income experiments in France.
Check out the full program here
Credit picture CC Olivier
