An overview of the burning issues put on hold by the power vacuum, which the future executive will have to tackle urgently.
The 2025 budget in limbo
A legislative behemoth, the 2025 State budget must be submitted to Parliament by October 1 at the latest. To “ensure the continuity of the State”, the outgoing government has prepared a framework for its successor, by carrying over exactly the same total of credits as in 2024, i.e. 492 billion euros, but broken down differently.
Proposals that the future executive will be able to amend. But time is pressing: without a government by the end of next week, we will “start to enter the red zone”, estimates an expert on the matter.
Another law from Bercy remained pending, to the great displeasure of entrepreneurs: that on the simplification of economic life, stopped abruptly by the dissolution in full discussion in the Senate, at the beginning of June.
The sick hospital
The preparation of the budget for the “Sécu”, whose deficit is growing, has also been delayed, while the health sector is suffering, between an underfunded public hospital and an emergency crisis.
Several projects aimed at reducing the medical desertification have been halted, such as a reform of the nursing profession, the experimentation of direct access to specialist doctors, or financial sanctions for patients who do not honor their appointments.
The introduction of “assisted dying”, a campaign promise by Emmanuel Macron, is now on hold, even though it began its journey in the Assembly.
Overseas in crisis
The New Caledonian separatists are still demanding the formal repeal of the reform aimed at unfreezing the local electoral body. Voted in May, this text had set the Caillou ablaze: eleven people were killed and the economic fabric was destroyed. The dissolution of the National Assembly led to the suspension of the project, but also political discussions to break the deadlock. In the meantime, the economic and social crisis is worsening. The territory is on the verge of bankruptcy and is calling for national solidarity but, without a government in Paris to manage aid, feels abandoned.
As for Mayotte, the Indian Ocean archipelago was waiting for two bills prepared by the outgoing executive: one to respond to the security, migration and health crises, the other to eliminate the right of the soil. Both texts fell through, but the problems remain.
Fire in the countryside
“Today, agriculture needs something other than dealing with current affairs, it needs decisions,” summed up Arnaud Rousseau, the head of the FNSEA, the main agricultural union, on Thursday. “The fire is smouldering in our countryside,” warns the Confédération paysanne.
After the severe crisis this winter, the government had announced more than a billion euros of measures, ranging from emergency aid to guaranteed loans. But several bills intended to respond to the crisis – including facilities for installing livestock buildings or water reserves, and the simplification of standards – were suspended by the dissolution.
The great energy blur
The energy sector is waiting for decisions on investments in electricity production, a crucial issue for the entire economy and especially industry.
In 2025 and beyond, will public money go to the construction of new nuclear reactors, or to renewable energies? It is very unclear, the revision of France’s energy programming (PPE) having been delayed by a year.
France nevertheless sent its National Energy Climate Plan (PNEC) to Brussels on July 10 – almost on time – which was required before the end of June. But a decree is still awaited to implement the multi-year programming setting the major objectives for 2035 by type of energy and the national low-carbon strategy (SNBC), a national roadmap to combat climate change.
Teachers waiting
The reform of initial teacher training, which was supposed to respond, from the start of the 2025 school year, to the recruitment crisis in National Education by strengthening the attractiveness of the professions, has also suffered a setback. During her back-to-school conference, the resigning minister Nicole Belloubet pleaded for this issue to remain a “priority” for the next government.
Another issue in limbo: the reform of the secondary school certificate. New assessment methods, planned for the June 2025 session, are still awaiting their implementing decree.
Housing sector in dire straits
A bill to unblock the housing supply, which was due to be examined in the Senate on June 18, has stalled. “Fortunately, since we were against it,” rejoices Manuel Domergue of the Abbé Pierre Foundation, who saw it as an attack on social housing.
On the other hand, Mr. Domergue regrets the suspension of debates around a cross-party bill which would have “finally” made it possible to regulate furnished tourist accommodation of the AirBnB type.
It is also impossible for associations to claim the 120 million euros in additional credits announced by the government in January to “strengthen the emergency accommodation system”.
Wages still low
The dissolution also halted the process of negotiations between social partners through which the government wanted to tackle low wages and “de-micardise” France, as well as the sanctions which should have been applied from June against the dozen professional branches still having conventional minimums lower than the minimum wage.
Another suspended project is to tighten, from December, the conditions of access and the rules of compensation by unemployment insurance. In the meantime, the current rules have been extended until the end of October.
There is also uncertainty regarding training aid: will the 6,000 euros per young person in initial training be maintained?
