Action plan for suburbs - Hope for suburbs

Policy Response DateFebruary 15, 2008 Country: France General Type: Discrimination Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Housing Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: Internet

Equal opportunities

The French civil service must promote diversity: the french President wants to study every possibility, including special preparatory training, for integrating and promoting the descendants of immigrants at every level of the civil service, and this to be implemented within the next five years. Pressure will also be put on the private sector, testing out the new "autonomy contracts" offering young people intensive and personalised support to help them find stable jobs or training leading to qualifications. Young people who want to set up their own businesses - one in two in the suburbs today - will be given professional support to help them through the process. In all, the State aims to steer over 100,000 young people into employment within the next three years. The national commitment for jobs for young people from disadvantaged suburbs is due to be signed on Friday, 15 February.

Security

Security Regional police teams (GIR) will be redeployed and mobilised "day and night" to bring the underworld economy into the open. Around 200 local territorial units will be brought in to reinforce security in the most violent suburbs, in other words, an additional 4,000 policemen and women in the next three years.

Transport

Some 500 million euros will be earmarked as part of the Environment Round Table plans for poor neighbourhoods. These funds will be devoted to the immediate creation of bus lines and to the development of light rail systems, such as trams. Part of these funds will be used for the Ile-de-France region, and the State will contribute to regional projects presented to it.

Associations and social housing

Nicolas Sarkozy announced a new partnership involving a financial commitment on the part of the State for the benefit of associations covering a period of several years, in a bid to allow them to implement long-term projects. These will then be assesed on their results. The State will settle "minor bills within 48 hours simply by writing a cheque". Cristine Boutin and Brice Hortefeux are to pursue discussions on how social housing is allocated and on the possibility of buying council homes. The President also called for a new social pact to assess the quality of services provided by social housing landlords - especially lift maintenance - and "that such assessments will condition whether or not the advantages that they (the landlords) enjoy will be maintained". In a bid to step up progress on these various plans, the French President announced that a full-time State representative will be appointed for every neighbourhood. The Minister in charge of the French civil service has been asked to propose innovative solutions to encourage civil servants, on a voluntary basis, to take up vacant jobs in suburban neighbourhoods.

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