Socialists are ready to take over the budgetary negotiations, which include an increase in the minimum wage, if François Bayrou returns to the term migratory “submersion” and undertake not to touch on state medical aid, said managers socialists this Wednesday, January 29.
The Prime Minister “derailed yesterday and we call it to the start,” said the deputy Philippe Brun on Sud Radio, who sits within the joint joint commission (CMP) between deputies and senators responsible Thursday to find a compromise on the budget . The Socialist Party canceled a meeting on Tuesday with the government to find an agreement for the CMP on the budget after François Bayrou’s words on the “feeling of submersion” migratory which would be widespread in France.
“The interest of the country is that the Prime Minister withdraws these words which hurt unnecessarily,” said Philippe Brun because “our responsibility is to get around the table and negotiate a budget”.
To this, the mayor of Nantes Johanna Rolland added another condition to Public Senate: that François Bayrou says “that he will not touch on state medical aid (Ame)” for foreigners in an irregular situation. This allows immigrants without a regular residence permit to be treated and its budget was reduced by 200 million euros by the Senate with a majority of the right.
The threat of censorship
In the backdrop of these discussions, the possible government’s censorship by the PS in the event of a 49.3 on the budget next week. An option to which Johanna Rolland called the socialists to “firmly think”. But the soul could also be a pretext of censorship on the RN side. The vice-president of RN Sébastien Chenu called on Franceinfo François Bayrou to attack “at the cost of immigration”, by directly targeting the cost of the state budget.
If the Prime Minister returns to these words, Philippe Brun said he was in favor of the resumption of these negotiations because “we need a budget for France” and it would be “cataclysmic for the country” not to have them. Among the demands of socialists negotiated with the government, there is “an increase in immediate minimum wage,” he revealed. “We are still negotiating modalities, but that is one of the things we ask for,” he said.
A “hostage taking”?
Another subject in discussion with the government, an “increase in the activity bonus”, which is paid in addition to low wages. Socialists also ask for the “restoration of credits from the Green Fund”, which notably finances local authorities for the ecological transition. In terms of tax revenue, Philippe Brun also suggested that the government could agree to surcharge the profits of large groups for two years instead of a year. A larger increase than expected from the financial transactions tax is also on the table, he said.
In response to these statements, the government has called on socialists not to take on “hostage” the discussions on the budget. “We hope that there is no hostage taking of any kind on the budget,” said government spokesperson Sophie Prima in her report of the Council of Ministers to the press. “The French do not understand this battle of words,” she added.
A little earlier, the entourage of François Bayrou had assured AFP “working” not to lose the socialists in the discussion, even if no new appointments are scheduled. In the polemical expression of migratory “submersion”, there is “no tactic to please or displease anyone” to escape censorship, also defended the Prime Minister’s entourage on Wednesday. It is “simply the expression of a reality, this feeling experienced by some of our fellow citizens”.