Immigration issues divide within the government. On Sunday, the Minister of Economy and Finance estimated that France must “of course” remain an immigration country.
“We need work immigration, entrepreneurs wish, and, moreover,” said Éric Lombard on LCI.
“Different appreciations” in government
As asked if, economically, France should remain an immigration country, Éric Lombard replied: “But of course”. And while the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, who wishes to tighten the regularization criteria, believes that “immigration is not a chance for France”, his colleague from Bercy has retorted: “We can have 'interior of a government different appreciations […] This is not my vision of immigration ”. “We need immigration to fill the jobs in businesses, factories, in the hospital,” said the minister.
Éric Lombard also considered that it was necessary to tackle “now” to reduce health spending, and “first, drug expenditure”. He noted “that we are the first consumer in France of antidepressants”. “Being 100 %reimbursed, when you have revenues above average, is it really essential?” He wondered.
The Minister also noted that the idea of working one more day a year for free to finance social spending “received a fairly fresh reception” with many political parties. But it remains “favorable to the idea of finding the ways and means of working more”.
-Pensions negotiations
On pensions, he judged that “capitalization is a very good solution which exists for the public service”, but will undoubtedly not be “a central element of the current discussion” between social partners who are trying to improve The reform of 2023, at constant cost, because “it takes a long time to produce effects”.
Our file on pension reform
Éric Lombard thinks that we will not be able to bring everyone back to 62 “, instead of 64, but that it is” legitimate “that people” who make a painful job and have a long career because they started early on earlier ”. But, for the sake of “balance”, “if we allow for reasons of national solidarity to such or such employee to stop earlier, we must find those who agree to work longer”, -He slipped.