Political groups are reacting to the increase in reports of bedbugs throughout France, particularly on public transport. The presidential majority proposes a transpartisan text.
What political reaction? After the increase in reports of bedbugs in recent weeks in cinemas, transport, but also schools and hospitals, parliamentarians from different political groups are taking up the subject. During a press conference on Tuesday, October 3, Sylvain Maillard, president of the Renaissance group in the National Assembly, announced that “a priority”. “It’s a real public health problem facing our fellow citizens who are going through, we can say, hell,” did he declare. The presidential party will therefore table a bill on the subject in its parliamentary slot scheduled for December 4. It will be placed at the top of the agenda and will therefore necessarily be examined by the deputies.
Bedbugs: the Renaissance, Démocrate and Horizons groups have “decided to make this subject a priority”, announces @SylvainMaillard.
The majority deputies will defend a bill on the issue in December. #DirectAN pic.twitter.com/2VMP5ZhkZH— LCP (@LCP) October 3, 2023
Questioned by franceinfo, Renaissance details its proposal which will include “prevention campaigns”, “mapping work” to get “precise knowledge of the number of cases in France”, “work on co-ownerships” but also the question of financing a plan to combat the proliferation of bedbugs. The future text could make it possible to recognize the problem as “a question of public health”, added Renaissance MP Robin Reda. Sylvain Maillard also called the groups “of the republican arch” to contribute to a transpartisan bill. “The majority deputies have fully understood the extent of this scourge”he assured.
“The government did nothing”
False, the leader of La France insoumise replied to him the same day in the National Assembly. “We wasted six years. The government did nothing”thus denounced Mathilde Panot, during her group’s press conference, emphasizing having “raised the alert” in 2017, and filed a “proposed resolution in 2019”.
Bedbugs: “If today we find bedbugs everywhere, in all everyday places in the country (…) it is because this government has decided not to act politically on this issue,” says @MathildePanot.#DirectAN pic.twitter.com/fn7uXxumwc
— LCP (@LCP) October 3, 2023
“It’s good, a bill in December, but the urgency is to act now”, she insisted. His group resubmitted a motion for a resolution calling, among other things, for a national prevention plan, an emergency fund and the creation of public disinfestation services.