French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced to implement a health emergency aiming at authorizing the prime minister to take measures “limiting the liberty of coming and going, the liberty of taking action and the liberty of meeting and enables to carry out requisitions of all goods and services needed to fight against the health crisis.” Like for state of emergency in case of terror attack, it reinforces executive power in case of a major health crisis.
The prime Minister also announced – among others – to raise the upper limit of short-time working up by adjourning charges and taxes, as well as a loan guarantee for banks. The bill plans the opening of a €6.3 billion-loan on the State’s budget enabling to finance short-time working.
Notre pays traverse une crise sanitaire sans précédent depuis un siècle : le Gouvernement va demander au Parlement de lui donner les moyens de faire face à l’urgence. J’ai présenté au Conseil des ministres qui vient de s’achever trois projets de loi en ce sens. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/qocOIYmfaF
— Edouard Philippe (@EPhilippePM) March 18, 2020
Tweet reads: “Our country is going through a health crisis unprecedented for a century: the government will ask the parliament to give them the means to face the emergency. I presented three bills to the Council of Ministers that has just ended”.
Municipal councils elected on the first lap will be considered elected. The second lap of municipal elections will take place in June, Edouard Philippe says, if the epidemic is contained then.
Les conseils municipaux élus au 1er tour sont élus. Dans les communes où le 1er tour n’a pas permis d’élire l’ensemble du conseil municipal, le projet de loi fixe au mois de juin la tenue du second tour, sous réserve que l’épidémie ait été suffisamment contenue d’ici là. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/rdLrkUJIVM
— Edouard Philippe (@EPhilippePM) March 18, 2020
Tweet reads: “Municipal councils elected on the 1st lap are elected. In towns where the 1st lap didn’t enable to elect the entire municipal council, the bill sets the second lap to June provided the epidemic is sufficiently contained until then”.
While the state of emergency is implemented on individual measures, softening detention or arrest conditions, the health emergency enables the quick implementation of collective measures involving the entire French people.
Le titre II du projet de loi d’urgence instaure un dispositif d’état d’urgence sanitaire. Nous devons faire en sorte que les décisions nécessaires puissent être prises sur le fondement d’une base juridique solide et qui prévoit à tout moment le contrôle du Parlement. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/TqqVJKGf28
— Edouard Philippe (@EPhilippePM) March 18, 2020
Tweet reads: “The title II of the emergency bill involves a health emergency state. We have to make sure all necessary decisions can be made on the founding principles of a solid legal base and that plans to control of the Parliament at any time.”
