The year 2025 is starting with its share of new developments and changes. New vaccines, increase in retirement pensions or even restriction of the use of meal vouchers, here is what changes from 1is January.
Two new compulsory vaccines for infants
Two new vaccines will be compulsory from 1is January for infants. The latter must be protected against ACWY and B meningococcal infections. Already compulsory, vaccination against meningococcus C will be replaced by that against ACWY meningococci.
This obligation “follows the recommendations of the High Authority of Health and the decree of July 5, 2024 relating to compulsory vaccination against meningococci type B and ACWY”, specifies the Ministry of Health. Its objective is to “better protect infants against these serious infections, in response to a worrying increase observed in recent years”.
A new health record for children
A new health record for children comes into force on 1is January. It will contain four parts: “Neonatal period”, “Advice for parents and adolescents”, “Medical surveillance” and a chapter intended for health professionals.
Among the main new features of this new notebook is the Apgar score ten minutes after birth, which makes it possible to assess the five main vital functions. There are also risk factors for vision disorders and benchmarks for detecting neurodevelopmental disorders (from 5 months to 6 years).
Exposure to screens, endometriosis or even psycho-affective state… All these questions are also addressed in order to be better identified and taken care of.
Read also: Screens, physical activity, vaccines: what’s new in the new health record?
2.2% increase for all retirement pensions
As revealed West France basic pensions will increase by 2.2% from 1is January. Censorship from Michel Barnier's government led to the abandonment of the Social Security budget. In the latter, the increase to 1is January was 0.8% for all pensions. Another increase of 0.8% was due to take place in July for small pensions. The legal indexation rule applies, that is to say an increase which corresponds to indexation to inflation.
As a reminder, basic private pensions amount on average to €814 gross per month. The +2.2% therefore represents a monthly increase of €18 on average, from the January pension (paid at the beginning of February).
New increase in tobacco products
Cigarettes, cigars or even rolling tobacco will cost more from 1is January. The price increase will be different for each product, but it will “up to €1 on a classic 20-unit pack of cigarettes”, specifies the Public Service website. The €12 mark for a package will therefore be crossed.
Prices for each manufactured product are set each year by decree. In the one published in Official Journal on December 10, 2024, it is therefore possible to find the details of the prices which will be in force from December 1is January.
New obligations for RSA beneficiaries
All beneficiaries of Active Solidarity Income (RSA) will be automatically registered with France Travail. Concretely, this means that they will have to update themselves every month, like job seekers.
They will have to sign an employment contract and will be required, within this framework, to carry out 15 to 20 hours of activities per week, such as interviews, training, or even internships. This contract will be personalized and “these 15 hours are not a condition for the granting of an allowance, it is an element within the employment contract co-constructed between the person and the referring organization”, according to France Travail and the Ministries of Labor and Solidarity.
End of the use of meal vouchers in supermarkets
Meal vouchers can no longer be used in supermarkets. The government had voted in the National Assembly to extend this use until the end of 2026. But the text could not be voted on in the Senate due to government censorship.
The French will therefore no longer be able to use “their meal vouchers in January 2025 in supermarkets for their shopping for non-directly consumable food products (oil, dough, butter)”, explained Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs Laurence Garnier to West France .
Establishment of mutual insurance for civil servants
The State is setting up mutual insurance for all public sector employees. It will be financed 50% by the employer. “This measure, already in force in the private sector, represents a significant step towards better social security coverage for public employees,” welcomes the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Reductions in aid for energy renovation
Some changes are being made to the energy renovation aid system, due to the budget deficit context. For households with resources “very modest”, the maximum level of advances issued will fall from 70% to 50% as part of the energy transition bonus per gesture.
Concerning the “Accompanied Pathway”, that is to say for so-called large-scale renovations, the rate of aid paid to households with higher resources will drop from 30% to 10% for projects allowing a gain of two classes to the DPE, from 35% to 15% for projects allowing a gain of three classes and from 35% to 20% for projects allowing a gain of four classes or more.
Read also: MaPrimeRénov': what changes (or not) on January 1, 2025
Single rate for transport in Île-de-France
From 1is January, there will only be one price for transport in Île-de-France. The metro, train or RER ticket will cost €2.50 throughout the Paris region. The ticket to Paris intramuros will therefore cost more. Until now it was €2.15 per unit and €1.73 per book of ten. The latter will disappear.
More expensive stamps
From January 1, 2025, the prices of mail and parcels will increase by 6.8% on average, explains the Service-Public site. The stamp for a green letter thus goes from €1.29 to €1.39 while a registered letter now costs €5.74 compared to €5.36 in 2024.
