A major political meeting less than three weeks before the first round of the presidential election. The show “Elysée 2022” on France 2 received, Thursday, March 24, Jean-Luc Mélenchon (Rebellious France), Valérie Pécresse (The Republicans), Fabien Roussel (PCF), Jean Lassalle (Let’s resist !) and Nathalie Arthaud (Labour struggle). Franceinfo has verified eight key statements from this evening.
1Is Jean-Luc Mélenchon right to say that the sanctions against the Russian oligarchs in France are limited to two yachts, 32 apartments and 150 million euros seized? True
“The reality is that we don’t hit the oligarchs. In France, we took two yachts from them. If you want, we can take more. (…) Likewise, we seized 32 apartments from them. So much the better. That’s it. And 150 million. There’s a lot more money floating around.”
Jean-Luc Melenchonin “Elysée 2022”
If Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s judgment on the severity of these measures belongs to him, his enumeration is correct. It corresponds to the list given by the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire on RTL and LCI on Sunday: 150 million euros in private accounts, 539 million euros in real estate and two yachts with a cumulative value of 150 million euros. The total value of the property concerned, which the candidate of La France insoumise does not mention, amounts to nearly 850 million euros.
On the other hand, they are not “seized” as Jean-Luc Mélenchon asserts, but “immobilized”, said the Minister. Their holders can no longer use or sell them, but the State has not become the owner. “For there to be seizure, there must be a criminal offense”explained Bruno Le Maire.
More broadly, European sanctions were taken from 2014, but the list of personalities hit by sanctions has of course been significantly increased since the invasion in Ukraine. On March 10, a total of 862 Russian personalities were hit with sanctions, as well as 53 entities. This count includes both political leaders (Council of the Federation, Duma, government, etc.) and oligarchs, lobbyists and propagandists (list at this address). These people are subject to an asset freeze but also a ban on entering EU territory.
2Does recourse to food aid concern 8 million people, as Jean-Luc Mélenchon asserts? Inaccurate
“I offer free canteens. Why? Because there are 8 million people on food aid.”
Jean-Luc Melenchonin “Elysée 2022”
Secours Catholique publishes an annual report on poverty in France, based on data from the Directorate General for Social Cohesion. According to last survey (link to a PDF file)published in November 2021, between 5 and 7 million people resorted to food aid in 2020, against the backdrop of the Covid-19 crisis. “Unheard of in times of peace”, comment the authors. But a little less than the figure put forward by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. This, however, corresponds to an estimate given by the Minister of Health, Olivier Véranin December 2020, which has therefore obviously been revised downwards since then.
3Is France’s trade deficit 85 billion euros, as declared by Valérie Pécresse? True
“We are in the throes of an absolutely tragic deindustrialisation. We have an 85 billion euro trade balance deficit.”
Valerie Pécressein “Elysée 2022”
The figure mentioned by the Republican candidate is correct. To be completely precise, in 2021 France recorded a trade deficit (the difference between the value of imports and exports) of 84.7 billion euros, according to figures. communicated by customs at the beginning of February. This level had never been reached.
According to customs, “two-thirds of the sustained increase in imports is explained by the rise in the prices of raw materials, particularly energy, and industrial products”. But energy costs are not the whole story. “The deindustrialization of France has certainly contributed to worsening our trade deficit”, declared in January a Customs official in the Senate, as noted Release.
4Is it true that France is “world champion of taxes”, as Valérie Pécresse says? Inaccurate
“Today we are world tax champions.”
Valerie Pécressein “Elysée 2022”
By this sporting metaphor, the candidate LR affirms that France would be the country with the highest tax rate in the world, which is not a title of pride in her eyes. His statement is inaccurate, although not far from the truth.
OECD data, which refer, do not place France in the lead in any tax category. If we talk about income tax, probably the most telling, the total levies in France reached 44.9% of GDP in 2019, Two countries have a higher rate: Denmark and Nauru, a tiny island in the Pacific.
5Is it true that only 30% of French people have access to palliative care, as Valérie Pécresse says? True
“What I believe is that there is a law, Claeys-Leonetti, which allows terminal sedation. This law is not applied today. Only 30% of French people use it. have access today.”
Valerie Pécressein “Elysée 2022”
Asked about the legalization of euthanasia, Valérie Pécresse preferred to insist on the Claeys-Leonetti law, which has governed access to palliative care since 2016. She deplored that it was not “not applied” today, because “only 30% of French people have access to it”. This is indeed the estimate put forward by the French Society for Support and Palliative Care (SFAP), in September 2021: “A third of patients who need it have access to palliative care”.
At that time, 26 departments still had no palliative care units, then signaled The world. “We are coming up against a tense medical demography with a number of vacancies estimated at 150 and a quarter of palliative care doctors going to leave their functions within five years”also summarized the ministry of health (link to a PDF file). The government has launched a national plan to try to catch up.
6Is it true that all the IPCC scenarios against global warming require more nuclear power, as Fabien Roussel says? Rather true
“In all the IPCC scenarios, they show that it is necessary to invest in carbon-free nuclear energy.”
Fabien Rousselin “Elysée 2022”
Fabien Roussel refers to a report published in 2018 by this group of international experts, which refers to the issues of combating climate change. In this report, four scenarios making it possible to limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2100 are studied. All foresee an increase in the share of nuclear in the production of electricity. The statement of the communist candidate is therefore correct.
On the other hand, this does not necessarily mean that no alternative scenario is possible, nor that the IPCC considers it essential to invest in nuclear power. The group of experts has a habit of recalling that it does not give any recommendations and is content to draw scenarios for the attention of political decision-makers. The group of experts also explains that it only takes into account the cost and the benefit vis-à-vis greenhouse gas emissions, without looking at other questions. (security, waste treatment, etc.) who are debating around nuclear power and its acceptance in society.
7Have the “great fortunes” doubled their wealth in five years, as Fabien Roussel and Nathalie Arthaud claim? Rather true
“Retired people, employees, young people… What did they have for five years? Nothing. The very wealthy saw their wealth double in the space of five years.”
Fabien Rousselin “Elysée 2022”
“The only realistic thing is for the five richest families in the country to double their fortunes.”
Nathalie Arthaudin “Elysée 2022”
The fortune of French billionaires increased by 236 billion euros from March 2020 to October 2021, according to the NGO Oxfam (link to a PDF file)after having increased by 231 billion euros between 2009 and 2019. According to the magazine Challenges, the fortunes of the five richest families in France saw a record increase in 2021, after the confinement due to Covid-19. Over the past ten years, it has been multiplied by 6.5. We studied this phenomenon in an article in January.
8Does France import “a lot” of its uranium from Kazakhstan and Niger, as Nathalie Arthaud says? True
“I may have missed a march, but we have not yet found uranium in France (…) A lot of uranium, we will look for it in Kazakhstan, which is not a big democracy . Or in Niger, which is not a great democracy either.”
Nathalie Arthaudin “Elysée 2022”
The Lutte Ouvrière candidate, who answered a question about “energy independence” allowed by the French nuclear industry, tells the truth about the sources of the uranium which feeds our reactors. In January, The world had obtained data on French imports from the technical committee of the European body Euratom. Between 2005 and 2020, the more than 138,000 tons of uranium imported by France mainly came from the following four countries: Kazakhstan (20.1%), Australia (18.7%), Niger (17.9%) and Uzbekistan (16.1%). Next come Namibia and Canada. Contrary to what environmentalist Sandrine Rousseau said earlier in the program, Mali is not among these exporters.
Nathalie Arthaud is wrong, on the other hand, about the absence of uranium on our territory. France produced tens of thousands of tonnes until 2001, the year the Jouac mine (Haute-Vienne) closed.