"Respect for republican values is not an option, but an obligation," stressed French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe
As RFI notes, the announcement of new measures has not only practical but also great PR significance: after parliament passed a tough immigration law in the first reading a month ago, the authorities needed to "balance" it with "humanitarian measures," thus responding to criticism from human rights activists.
At the same time, during the presentation, the prime minister particularly emphasized that the new measures will only affect those who "have the right" to reside in France. In addition, those "who have the right" must live according to the principles accepted in French society: "Respect for republican values is not an option, but an obligation," said Édouard Philippe, thus sending a signal to those who, on the contrary, consider the recently adopted law to combat illegal migration "too soft."
The main emphasis is on increasing the number of French language classes. Starting next year, the volume of language courses will increase from 200 to 400 hours (and up to 600 hours for those who do not know a word of French).
Another measure: doubling the duration of teaching "the foundations of state and law" from 12 to 24 hours. Now, as Prime Minister Édouard Philippe stated, teachers will also pay attention to "methods of professional integration." The unemployment rate among migrants in France is 65% (OECD data).
The prime minister promised that this year 3,000 "young foreigners" will receive "internships from 3 to 6 months." Next year, the number of internships will increase to 5,000. In addition, the government plans to create new jobs for migrants in sectors that are not popular among the French: these include construction professions, service personnel, etc. The prime minister promised 1,000 new jobs this year, and in 2020, as many as 3,000.
However, even if the promise is fulfilled, it will not change the situation radically. Moreover, many illegal immigrants are currently employed in the construction and service sectors, and the figure of "3,000 new jobs" could be achieved simply by legalizing some of these people.
The prime minister also promised to find "20,000 housing units" for people who have received refugee status in France.
At the same time, the proposal of deputy from the ruling party "En Marche!" Aurélien Taché, who, on behalf of the government, prepared 72 measures to improve the integration of foreigners, was rejected. The deputy proposed paying subsidies to city halls and providing tax deductions to individuals who would provide housing for refugees.
Instead, the government will entrust the task of finding available premises to local police prefectures. The question of the practical implementation of this task remains open. Probably, housing will be arranged mainly in vacant administrative buildings, as has been the case so far.
The prime minister also announced the provision of a so-called "culture pass" (Pass Culture) to young migrants – a card worth 500 euros per year, which can be used to pay for tickets to museums, cinema, and concerts. However, this measure is not yet mandatory for the French either – this year it will only be tested in several regions.
Finally, Édouard Philippe promised that the state will pay for the services of psychologists, who should help refugees overcome post-traumatic stress. He also mentioned payment for childcare services during the hours when parents will be studying.
For all measures to "improve integration," the French government plans to allocate an additional "up to 200 million euros per year." That is, it has cut the funding provided for in Deputy Taché's report by more than three times. The deputy believes that more than 600 million euros annually are needed to rectify the situation.