Traveling to Vienne, the Prime Minister listed a series of measures included in her France Ruralités plan on Thursday.
“It’s an elected official from the Normandy countryside who tells you, rural areas have everything to succeed.” The Prime Minister presented Thursday, June 15 a series of measures for the countryside, during a trip to Saulgé (Vienne). This plan, called France Ruralité, includes some forty provisions to respond to the specific challenges of the rural world. Matignon had already unveiled the executive’s commitments the day before.
This is the culmination “a year of particularly intense partnership work centered on the issue of territorial equity, how we ensure that all territories and in particular rural territories have the same opportunities”, explained Matignon during a press briefing. To meet the challenges specific to the rural world, which represents 22 million inhabitants and 90% of the surface area of France, the strategy is based on several axes.
Protect biodiversity
A “Villages of the Future” program of 15 million euros will be launched to help small towns carry out their projects, following the example of the programs of “revitalization” town centers such as “Action coeur de ville”.
Among the long-awaited measures, the villages will be remunerated thanks to the endowment “biodiversity” which will be increased by 42 million euros “more than 100 million euros” in order to protect the “rural amenities”namely protected natural areas, but also areas that currently have no market value (forests, ponds, soils) for municipalities. “Our rural territories are fragile, on the front line in the face of climate change”worried Thursday the Prime Minister.
Open up and rehabilitate the territory
On the transport side, a fund of 90 million euros over three years will thus help local authorities to deploy mobility services “innovative and united” so that people “be less dependent on their car”. To respond to the scourge of empty housing, a bonus of 5,000 euros will be offered to owners who renovate their vacant accommodation.
Develop local shops
Faced with the deterioration of buildings in town centres, a “vacation exit bonus” with a total budget of 5 million euros will be put in place to put real estate back on the main residence market. To develop local shops absent in 20,000 towns, implementation projects will be supported “up to 36 million euros over three years”.
In addition, the rural revitalization zones (ZRR) system, which allows businesses and communities in rural areas to benefit from tax and social security exemptions, will be made permanent. Its cartography will be reformed to reach the most fragile municipalities.
Fight against medical deserts
For access to care, one of the first concerns of a rural world particularly affected by medical deserts, the government is going to launch 100 “medico-buses” staffed with specialists, in particular gynecologists, there “where it is most difficult to access” taking care. In addition, the number of multidisciplinary health centers will increase from 700 to 1,400.
Better anticipate class closures
On education, rural elected officials will also have visibility “over three years” in the event of class closure, and 3,000 places will be created in the “boarding schools of excellence“. For more resources in the service of young people in rural areas, the plan also provides for the recruitment of 1,250 civic services in rural areas.