Electricity, sexual violence in clubs, bank charges, chlordecone: what the socialists want to impose on the national assembly

Jour de niche parlementaire à l'assemblée nationale. MAXPPP – Alexis Sciard

This Thursday, February 29, the Socialist Party imposes the agenda for debates on the occasion of its parliamentary niche day at the National Assembly. Socialist deputies are tackling a series of problems that they will present to the hemicycle and some could be adopted. But at midnight, the debates will necessarily end.

Extend regulated electricity prices to small businesses, fight against drug shortages, freeze transport prices during the Olympic Games… PS deputies are hopeful of passing a series of consensus texts this Thursday and "useful (in) daily life" of the French, on a day reserved for their proposals.

Extend regulated electricity prices

This was to be the end point of a 14-month standoff, but which could end in a handshake: the socialists and the government first worked on an agreement on the ;#39;one of the key texts of the day, concerning EDF, and defended by Philippe Brun (Eure). It initially planned to protect in law the 100% ownership of EDF by the State, already in effect, to prevent a hypothetical dismemberment in the future. But the text has evolved according to the parliamentary shuttle, and now proposes the extension to February 1, 2025 of the regulated tariffs for the sale of electricity (TRVE) to VSEs, craftsmen or even small farmers. He also intends to set up a share of employee shareholding at EDF, by obliging the company to open up at least 2% of its capital.

It is this last measure which arouses the most tension with Bercy, which intends to transform the obligation into a possibility, in exchange for the support of the presidential camp for the text. The socialists have done well without it so far, but an agreement with the government could make it possible to avoid a referral by the executive of the Constitutional Council, while the presidential camp has repeatedly estimated that the article on regulated tariffs could be censored as a legislative rider. "If the government agrees with our proposal (…) it is because reality has caught up with it", s&#39 ;the boss of the group Boris Vallaud is congratulated by 20 Minutes, defending a "parliamentary niche" dedicated to the "daily" of the French.

Better prevent sexual violence in clubs

After the text on EDF, the socialists should unsurprisingly have a law definitively adopted to better prevent sexual violence against minors in sports clubs, in a context of freedom of speech on the failures of several federations. Already adopted in the Senate, it plans to strengthen the background checks of sports educators, which will become annual, and to add reporting obligations to club presidents.

The removal of bank charges after certain deaths

Another largely consensual proposal: Christine Pires Beaune will propose the elimination of account closing fees for an heir, when the deceased person is a minor or when the sums concerned are less than 5,000 €. The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire recently said he was in favor. 

Chlordecone: Recognize the responsibility of the State

On the other hand, the Guadeloupe deputy Elie Califer will battle with the presidential camp to adopt a text recognizing "responsibility" of the State in the "scandal" of the chlordecone pesticide in the Antilles. "It's important for us (…) Afterwards, will come questions of organization and the compensation fund", justifies the MP, who will oppose the Renaissance amendments which intend to recognize a "share of responsibility" of the State. "The responsibility is shared, otherwise it's a bit easy", insists Charlotte Parmentier-Lecoq (Renaissance), citing in particular industrialists, operating owners.

Availability of medicines

Valérie Rabault will defend her proposal to "guarantee the availability of medicines" by forcing, under penalty of increased sanctions, laboratories to build up a minimum safety stock. Its text was slightly rewritten in committee to set the floors at "two months" for traditional medicines and those "of major therapeutic interest", but she will try to raise these levels in the hemicycle and refine the writing of the text. "The objective is to have these first five texts voted on", explains a source in the socialist group.< /p>

Time permitting…

If time permits, because the debates will be interrupted at midnight, the first secretary of the party Olivier Faure could try to overturn in session a lost vote in committee to freeze transport fares for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which must be increased.  On the other hand, other texts for a universal rental guarantee, to receive your retirement on the first day, or for an enforceable right to the organization of working time in the event of engagement in a association should not have time to be examined. Same thing for that of former minister Guillaume Garot aiming to experiment for three years ten "zero hunger territories". Already adopted in committee, the Socialists could propose its inclusion in a transpartisan week due to lack of time on Thursday.