Presidential candidates must prioritize training and youth, according to the Circle of Economists

For the founder of this think tank Jean-Hervé Lorenzi, the Covid-19 pandemic "will have had a merit", that of "showing the French their deficiencies and their denials", in particular those on the "weakness of the qualification and training "and the" financial insecurity "of part of the youth in the country.

Priority must be given to education from early childhood, "where inequalities are created", by training and better remunerating teachers, then to "lifelong" training by integrating businesses "into the process. development of qualifications ", according to a statement published by the Circle at the end of the 21st Economic Meetings of Aix-en-Provence.

This event brought together dozens of researchers and business leaders, as well as politicians from Friday to Sunday.

This text which lists ten economic proposals "is not revolutionary", indicates Mr. Lorenzi, whose objective is "to force the presidential candidates to come out of the woods" on these themes.

The Youth Guarantee, monthly aid of 484 euros maximum currently allocated to young people without employment, study or training, must be extended to "all students, apprentices, young precarious workers, (...) financially independent", claims the Circle of Economists.

Its financing must be done by a transfer of funds, via savings generated by a pension reform carried out thanks to "the increase in the number of annuities" worked, and not with an increase in the retirement age, a source of brakes "psychological and sociological", pleads Mr. Lorenzi.

Economists also want to increase the low wages of professional branches on the "front line" during the pandemic, citing the distribution, catering, cleaning, health and agrifood sectors, but also the public service (caregivers, teachers and researchers).

Another proposal to strengthen productive investment: establish a public guarantee for the savings of French households when it is invested in the equity of very small businesses and SMEs, subject to the level of assets.

All of these measures will generate additional public spending, warn economists, who call for a "reallocation" of spending but do not want to increase the level of compulsory levies.

Finally, Le Cercle reiterates that it is necessary to "review the Maastricht deficit and debt criteria" which "no longer correspond to European reality", and is in favor of an enlargement of the European market for CO2 emission quotas "to all production activity sectors ", to achieve carbon neutrality in the EU in 2050.