"Yellow Vests": five themes selected, including immigration, for the great local debate

The executive has selected five themes, including the ecological transition, taxation but also immigration, for the future major local debate announced by Emmanuel Macron to respond to the crisis of "yellow vests", announced the Elysee Wednesday.

"What does it mean to be a citizen today?" The government "engages throughout the territory a great national debate on the ecological transition, taxation and public services, the evolution of the democratic debate and immigration, allowing each French to share his testimony, to express his expectations and its proposals for solutions ", it is indicated in the press release of the Council of Ministers.

The Élysée has detailed the five questions that should frame the debate, which will be open to the public and rely on the town halls:

• "How to better accompany the French in their daily life to move, heat, isolate their homes?
• "How to evolve the link between taxes, expenditures and public services to better meet the needs of the French?"
• "How to change the organization of the state and other public authorities to make them closer to the French and more effective?"
• "What does it mean to be a citizen today? How to change the practice of democracy and citizenship?"
• "What are the expectations and concerns of the French regarding immigration, in a context of globalization and secularism sometimes rushed?".

The CFDT protests against the presence of immigration in the debate. In his response speech to the "yellow vests" movement, Emmanuel Macron unexpectedly announced his intention to broaden this debate to "the issue of immigration". "I also want us to agree with the nation on what its deepest identity is," he said.

A decision challenged by associations or the leader of the CFDT Laurent Berger. "The CFDT opposes the fact that 'immigration and deep identity', though unrelated to the current crisis, should be one of the five topics of discussion - it is incomprehensible and dangerous, while the stakes are clearly social justice!" , said Laurent Berger Tuesday night on Twitter.

The big national debate is scheduled to start on Saturday. The CFDT opposes that "immigration and deep identity", yet unrelated to the current crisis, be part of the 5 topics of discussion. It is incomprehensible and dangerous whereas the issue is clearly social justice!

The future great debate was the subject of a communication by Édouard Philippe in the Council of Ministers Wednesday. The precise modalities of the organization must be presented in the coming days.