Eppe-Sauvage (France) (AFP)

Edouard Philippe presented Friday dozens of measures to support small businesses and youth in rural areas often hit by a sense of abandonment highlighted by the crisis of "yellow vests".

The Association of Rural Mayors (AMRF), at the origin of this program by its proposals formulated in mid-July, discovered the outlines at the opening of its annual congress at Eppe-Sauvage (North).

"This rural agenda, it is for us essential," said at the opening of this congress Vanik Berberian, President of the AMRF, because "we must dare emancipate 40 years of Jacobinism that have corseted the country."

The executive elected to act on 173 of the 200 proposed measures. Matignon assures that "this is the first time that we have such a broad plan for rural areas".

In front of about 300 rural mayors, Edouard Philippe said Friday want to "give back choices, freedom, services" to some 22.4 million people in these territories.

The Prime Minister regretted several long-standing "mistakes" about rural policies, including "the mistake of (and) confusing them with agricultural policies".

He outlined the four priorities of this "rural agenda": the ecological transition, the proximity of public services, safety and attractiveness. "We must have the choice, we must have choices at home, or whatever," said the Prime Minister.

In this context, the government intends to provide "support for local trade", by opening for the municipalities tax exemption possibilities that the state can partly compensate.

The state will also put back into circulation licenses IV, allowing the sale of alcohol in the bar of drinks and whose number has been reduced in recent decades to concentrate in the big cities and on the coast. These "revitalization licenses", in the words of the Prime Minister, will be unlike current non-transferable from one intermunicipal to another in order to fight against the departure of these bars to more attractive territories.

This measure is part of the initiative of the Social Economy and Solidarity Group SOS, supported by the government which has just launched a call for projects to deploy 1,000 cafes in rural areas.

More generally, Edouard Philippe promised "the simplification" of the regulation for these small businesses, whether it is the implementation of bars, fire safety or accessibility.

- "Rebuild" territorial cohesion -

Another strong point of this plan, the youth, with the deployment in 2020 of a platform bringing together the services offered to young people at the national level (like the license to 1 euro) and local (discount cards for transport ...); the creation of 15,000 civic services in rural areas; the arrival of 33 connected campuses to pursue distance higher education with enhanced support; or to reinforce the means of the National Education according to "remoteness".

For the rest, in accordance with the report's recommendations, 5G coverage will also benefit rural areas by setting obligations for operators. And the white areas will have to be resorbed "in five years".

The government will launch in 2020, in line with the "Action Coeur de Villes" for 222 medium-sized cities, a specific plan for "small centralities", currently being developed, in particular to strengthen public services and shops. "We are working to meet the need for proximity to action, to rebuild, to sew," said Jacqueline Gourault, Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Friday in Le Figaro.

Government programs will be improved, accelerated or specifically targeted on rurality, whether they are exemptions to renovate old buildings or the recruitment of some 600 doctors to reduce medical deserts. Similarly, 40,000 people will benefit from integration schemes by economic activity by 2022, against 28,000 currently.

This dense inventory will require special monitoring, Matignon said, announcing a first interministerial committee of rurality "early next year".

© 2019 AFP