While a ministerial committee on rurality travels to the Vosges on Thursday, the "France Service Trucks" roam the roads of France. They are trying to bring some public service to some of the most remote villages, such as the Avesnois in the north.

REPORTAGE

It is a response to the yellow vests crisis and a marker three weeks before the municipal elections: the first inter-ministerial committee on rurality is traveling in the Vosges on Thursday. Edouard Philippe and seven ministers are on site to present their plan to revitalize rural areas. Among the announcements: new cities chosen to host "France service houses". These are places where several public services are grouped together. There are also "France service trucks": mobile public services, which come right outside our door. Europe 1 met one of them, in Avesnois.

>> Watch Matthieu Belliard's morning show in replay and in podcast here

The truck travels through villages where public service is on the decline. Jérémie, met by Europe 1, was able to enter it for a change of registration. He was followed by Edith, who came to ask the agents for help with his retirement calculation. Direct and irreplaceable human contact, she said. "It saves time, and at least we can express ourselves. On the phone it's impossible," says the retiree.

"Claim a form of equality between territories"

For the president of the Department of the North, Jean-René Lecerf, the truck fills a real gap in certain territories. "There may already have been too much movement in the closure of public services. We are trying to compensate for the current situation, it is a way of claiming a certain form of equality between the territories", explains the elected official .

In total, twenty towns in the department are affected by this operation. As France 3 indicates, every month, the France services truck will stop at Trélon, Etrœungt, Sains-du-Nord, Dourlers, Wignehies, Pont-sur-Sambre, Cartignies, Prisches, Maroilles, Bousies, Wargnies-le-Grand, Gommegnies, Poix-du-Nord, La Longueville, Bavay, Ferrière-la-Grande, Leval, Cousolre, Boussois and Villers-Sire -Nicole.