The president of the Republicans severely criticizes the 2024 budget presented Wednesday by the government, which he describes as a “camouflage budget”. Overall, Éric Ciotti believes that the reduction in spending, planned by the government, is “virtual”. “Of the 16 billion euros, only two billion represent a very small structural effort,” criticizes the deputy for Alpes-Maritimes.
Éric Ciotti is calling for more savings and proposing a measure that is sure to provoke a reaction from the political class: increasing the reduction in unemployment benefits. Concretely, the Republicans want to reduce the duration and amount of unemployment compensation “to make it less attractive”. Which, according to Éric Ciotti, would represent “a gain of several billion euros”. “Today, more than 5 million French people are registered with Pôle emploi while tens of thousands of companies are struggling to recruit in what we call sectors in tension. We must revalue work in relation to inactivity,” says Éric Ciotti in Le Parisien. Faced with future criticism against this measure, the elected LR responds: “Having a real policy of social solidarity means offering work to everyone and high incomes to everyone. We must break with this false idea that the more we give, the more we express solidarity.”
Another proposal: the president of the Republicans wants to reduce the number of civil servants, without affecting education and health, “two priority areas”. “We need a more efficient public service,” insists Éric Ciotti, who believes that the reduction in public spending planned in his political party’s counter-budget “will make it possible to reduce compulsory contributions and produce a significant debt reduction effort” .