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This is France’s new €110 billion coronavirus emergency plan

The French government has released a new list of economic measures to help the country through the coronavirus crisis. The total emergency plan now amounts to €110 billion.

Published: 15 April 2020 15:19 CEST
This is France's new €110 billion coronavirus emergency plan
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe laid out the new plan on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Prime Minister Eduard Philippe announced the new measures on Wednesday, two days after the nationwide lockdown was extended until May 11th.

“This unprecedented health crisis requires answers as big as the shock we are under,” the PM said.

The government had €110 billion ready to tackle the economic and social consequences of the coronavirus, he added.

France was swift to announce measures to alleviate the negative economic impact sparked by shutting down most of its economic activities by keeping the country at home.
 
But the current budget represents a significant increase from the €45 billion initial plan from mid March.
 
Of these €8 billion have been earmarked be used on health expenses, half of them to buy masks.
 
The rest of the money will go to business and workers. Here's what is on offer;
 

Hospitals 

Hospital workers in France have protested over low pay for years, organising protests and street rallies to alert decision makers to their long workdays and modest salaries. But the coronavirus crisis really turned the spotlight towards the country’s hospitals.

“They are on the front line day and night,” Philippe said. “We all know what we owe them.”

Hospital workers in the hardest hit areas – along with workers in hospitals that received patients from these areas – would therefore get a €1,500 bonus, the PM said.

Hospital workers in the rest of the country would receive €500. The bonuses will be tax-free.

The PM also said health workers would see their overtime hours “recalculated” up to 50 percent. 

 

Ehpad

Carers in the country’s Ehpad (nursing homes) would also get a bonus, and the PM said there were ongoing discussions with the establishments over how much.

READ MORE: How coronavirus torn through France's elderly nursing homes

Public sector employees

Public officials who have to continue to work during the lockdown will be granted a bonus that could go up to €1,000, according to the new plan.

About 400,000 public officials should be eligible for this bonus package.

Police officers, customs officials or teachers who have taken care of the children of health workers are some of the professions included here.

Low-income families

The PM also promised that, starting from May 15th, the government would ensure financial emergency help to low-income families.

 

Households on the income top-up benefit known as RSA (revenue de solidarité active) or ASS (allocation de solidarité spécifique) would get €150 each, plus 100 extra per child.

Partial unemployment

To encourage companies to keep their employees on the payroll, the state has said it will foot most of the wage bill.

Employers can declare chômage partiel (partial unemployment) for their employees.

The new emergency plan has increased the budget for the country's crisis unemployment scheme by €4 billion, up from €20 to €24 billion in total.

This reflects a massive increase in the number of people enrolled on the scheme, from some 4 million just a few weeks ago to over 8 million people today.

 

If companies qualify for the scheme their workers will get 84 percent of their net salary during the period they are not working, while those earning minimum wage (€1,219 net a month) get their whole salary reimbursed. 

The measure only covers those earning up to 4.5 times the minimum wage (€4,607.82 net a month).

The benefit (indemnité) is paid by the employer who is then reimbursed by the state. Workers on a temporary (CDD) or permanent (CDI) contract whose company hit by the crisis will be covered, but interns or apprentices are not.

READ MORE: How to access partial unemployment in France

Help for self-employed workers

The government had already launched a financial help package for self-employed people and small business owners who have lost out during the coronavirus crisis.

This has increased from €1,500 to €3,500, and consists of two different packages of  €1,500 and €2,000 respectively.

The government initially said about 600,000 businesses would be eligible for this financial help, 160,000 in the restaurant sector, 140,000 non-food related shops and 100,000 in the tourist sector.

More than 900,000 businesses have applied for this aid.

For more details on this click here.

Other social measures

Businesses and self-employed will also be able to suspend payments on rent, gas and electricity.

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 tips to have the best possible night at France’s Fête de la musique

It can be the most fun day of the year - when France goes music crazy and bands suddenly appear on every street corner - but there are some tips to make your Fête de la musique experience as good as it can possibly be.

Published: 24 June 2024 11:26 CEST
5 tips to have the best possible night at France's Fête de la musique

First, a caveat – this is an entirely personal manifesto based on the things that I have enjoyed over my Fête de la Musique outings over the years. It’s not intended as any kind of hard-and-fast rule and plenty of people will have different experiences.

Feel free to disagree and/or share your festival tips in the comments section below!

1 Ignore the big-name artists

There are always a few big-name artists or concerts in major venues on the Fête de la musique (which happens every year on June 21st).

Ignore them. Sure, stadiums gigs can be great and huge venues can have a wonderful atmosphere – but you can do that any night of the year. It’s not what Fête de la musique is about.

The true spirit of the Fête is the smaller acts who play on street corners, in bars and community venues. They’re free, you can wander between them and stay as long as you like – and there is always something else around the corner.

2 Ignore the big towns

You might think that the big cities have the best music, but if you have the choice, go for a small town or a suburb.

I’ve enjoyed some good Fêtes in Paris, but the best experiences had have been smaller towns or the Paris’ suburbs (Montreuil is good – a commune that carefully cultivates a small-town / village vibe, albeit a very diverse small town where everyone is a hippy, a leftist, or both).

It’s partly a practicality thing – in big cities the acts are spread out and you have to make plans to see something and meet up with friends. In small towns, you just wander along to the main square, then when you’ve seen the acts there, you can saunter up the side streets, each of which will have dozens of bands playing, pausing only to grab a beer and snacks.

But it’s also the vibe; in big cities you can hear good live music all the time and the population is consequently complacent – small towns truly appreciate the Fête de la musique and properly go wild.

Once, in Paris, I was watching a blues band play in the street when a woman tipped water on their heads from her apartment window because she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. Small towns appreciate it when bands play for them.

3 Experiment

There’s a lot of variety on the night, so take advantage – this is your opportunity to hear all kinds of live music from rock to swing, jazz to classical, choirs to DJs.

Didn’t think that a five-piece oud band is your thing? Fête de la musique may change your mind. It’s the night of the year when anything goes, musically, so it’s also the night to try something new.

If you hate it – well it’s free and there’s another band down the street that might be more your thing. But you might discover a lifetime passion for oud music – in fact, by this time next year you might be playing in the oud band. Thanks to the Fête de la musique.

4 Don’t insist on quality

You’ll hear some great bands, but you’ll also hear some that are more about enthusiasm – and that’s all part of the fun.

You’re going to be hearing everything from classic rock to reggae to blues to the above-mentioned five-piece oud band, and as well as the styles the quality may be variable to.

For me, the true spirit of Fête de la musique is the 50-year-old accountant rocking out on his guitar and enjoying the one night of the year when he can dream that if only he hadn’t given up on his high school band, he could now be rich, famous and selling out stadiums, as opposed to filing tax declarations in an office above the florist.

5 Dress comfortably

Some people like to dress up for the Fête and that’s great – it’s a party after all – but the key thing is to wear something that is comfortable and allows you to shake your stuff.

Yes, you will be dancing – you’ll be dancing on street corners, in parks, cafés and perhaps on street furniture if things really get going, and you’ll be dancing with kids, dapper 70-year-old gents and everyone in between.

You need comfortable shoes and clothes that you can really move in.

Dance like no-one is watching. They may be watching, but they won’t be judging. Much. It’s Fête de la musique.

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