Do not resort to the social aid to which one is nevertheless entitled. This phenomenon of“magnitude” targeted by Emmanuel Macron during the presidential election does not just affect France but concerns all European countries, experts meeting in Paris said on Tuesday, December 13.
“Solidarity at the source”, the element of language of the macronists to flirt with the left
“Work on the non-use of solidarity benefits shows the extent of the phenomenon”, commented Fabrice Lenglart, director of the Department of research, studies, evaluation and statistics (Drees), during a symposium on the subject. Reducing it is “a key issue in the fight against poverty”he added.
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The non-use rate frequently reaches levels above 30%, according to recent studies by DREES. The statistical body thus estimated in 2018 that 34% of people eligible for the RSA did not receive this benefit, i.e. 600,000 households.
For the minimum old age, it is even one in two people eligible for this aid who did not receive it in 2016, according to another study by the DREES based on tax data. It estimates that 790 million euros have therefore not been paid.
Will “solidarity at the source” soon be deployed?
“The French case is far from being exceptional”however, pointed out Antoine Rode, researcher at the Observatory of non-use of rights and services. “We regularly reach 30%” rate of non-use of social minima in other European countries.
A 2017 European study showed that the rate of non-use of the minimum income in each country varied from 29% in Finland to 46% in Belgium.
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Among the reasons which explain the non-recourse: the lack of information on the aids or on the organizations, the too complex steps or the fear of negative consequences (checks, loss of rights). A point that research still needs to clarify, underlined various participants in the colloquium.
Fabien Roussel facing Benoît Hamon: the “benefits”, the left and work
Promised by Emmanuel Macron during the 2022 presidential campaign, the French government intends to fight against this phenomenon of non-recourse by setting up a “solidarity at the source”, which will result in the automatic payment of certain social benefits. This project should take several years to complete. To prepare for this reform, it will launch in early 2023 “experiments” in different territories.
