Paris unlocks a € 200 million aid plan to revive the economy

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The Council of Paris voted this Monday, May 18, an aid plan of 200 million euros to revive the economy of the capital very affected by the coronavirus crisis. It is an important aid plan intended for businesses, the cultural world and families in great difficulty.

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The first concerned by this support plan are companies, associations and the world of culture. The aid will essentially take the form of exemption from charges, such as exemption from the rents of social landlords, display rights or terraces for very small businesses in great difficulty. In total, almost 200 million euros in exceptional aid.

For businesses in the capital that are suffering enormously from the health crisis, this aid is a breath of fresh air. Paris is classified in the red zone, which makes it difficult to reopen bars, restaurants or cultural places. Because of the confinement, the loss of Parisian economic activity is estimated at 37.5%, that is 3 points more than the national average. The city, already in debt of almost 6 billion euros, sees part of its revenues melt with this crisis. An estimated loss of around 350 million euros from the 2020 budget.

"  The economic and social consequences of this crisis will be deep and lasting,  " warned PS Mayor Anne Hidalgo before elected officials from the Council of Paris, some of whom were present in the hemicycle while others participated in the debates by videoconference.

In favor of the plan, the environmental candidate for municipal governments, David Belliard (EELV), suggested that in return for this aid, companies make environmental commitments. "  Let us take advantage of this moment to move faster towards a resilient and ecological city model  ", he argued, proposing for example the end of "  heated terraces  ".

The opposition, for its part, criticized a plan deemed insufficient. Mayor LR of the 7th arrondissement, and candidate for mayor of Paris, Rachida Dati, thus estimated that this plan did not correspond "in  any way to the budget for the crisis required (...) it is complicated as the city is in debt  ". According to her, the plan also forgets certain actors such as "  liberal doctors  ", "  students  " or the "  disaster event sector  ".

(With AFP )

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