in Addition to the environmental issue, the Europeans are increasingly in demand for a more social Europe. According to a recent survey, 57 % would like to see the EU "to focus on the social policy to reduce the conditions of life variables in the member States". The main parties standing for the elections that will take place in France on may 26, all have this desire to create "a Europe that protects" citizens more. But how are they to proceed?

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• With a european minimum wage?

The idea of establishing a Smic european, old sea serpent, is supported by a number of lists and parties, while the minimum wage is the large gap in Europe (in 1999 euros in Luxembourg, compared with 261 euro in Bulgaria, according to Eurostat). As well, Nathalie Loiseau, the head of the list of the presidential party, LREM, wants to implement a european minimum wage, corresponding to "at least half the median wage" in each country of the EU "to limit competition by low-wage and guarantee an income for decent living". "The access to european funds will depend on the implementation of these wages," says the program of the candidate. The lists, BIA, Generation.s and PCF plead also for "a Smic european", with a few variations. Manon Aubry (BIA) set its level to "75% of the median wage in each country", Raphaël Glucksmann (PS - public Place) to "65% of the median income" and Ian Brossat (PCF) to "60% of the average wage". Benoît Hamon (Generation.s), meanwhile, has not formally set a floor but wants to aim "higher" than the 60% of the median wage proposed by the european Parliament.

The list of The Patriots of Florian Philippot calls for an increase in the Minimum wage of 300 euros in five years. As for the Republicans, they dismiss the idea as "absurd" and does not mention it in their program. This harmonization would lead in practice to the collapse of wages and therefore the purchasing power in the countries of western Europe, reviled in its program the national Rally, led by Jordan Bardell

• By editing the directive to posted workers?

in the Face of the abuses recorded, including "social dumping", a revision of the 1996 directive was adopted on 29 may 2018, introducing in particular the principle of "equal pay for equal work in the same place". This revision, which will come into force in 2022, however, has not been sufficient to halt the fraud, the real challenge for France, the second host country for posted workers (far behind Germany) with 516.000 posted workers in 2017, and a fourth sending country.

Some want to return to it. Denouncing in his program "a true preference foreign" and "an injustice", the national Gathering calls just to"repeal". The centrist Jean-Christophe Lagarde (UDI) focuses a part of his criticism on the directive on posted workers: a "weapon of mass destruction of the european idea", according to him. While France Insubordinate wants to"abolish" for posted workers "relèv[ent] completely on the law of the host country (working hours, salaries, social security contributions, allowances, leave, etc) if it is more favourable than their country of origin", one can read in the program of BIA.

on The contrary, "it is not necessary to remove this guideline, but go to a review authentic," said François-Xavier Bellamy. "The posted workers must pay social security contributions in the country in which they work," said the head of the list LR which also wishes to strengthen "the arsenal of control and sanction" in the fight against fraud to the detachment. "We have already obtained that for equal work there should be equal pay", would like to remind Nathalie Loiseau, the former minister of european Affairs. "Now, we must go further, for equal work, there must be an equal cost to the employer", she says. "It will also intensify the fight against fraud thanks to the new european Authority for the work," says the program LREM.

europe : proposals for the LREM - Watching on Figaro Live

• With new taxes?

The tax provisions of the member States may also create distortions. For example, the Bulgaria doesn't charge that 10% on the profits of companies, when France requires companies to 31% (from 2019). The lists that insist the most on fiscal convergence are that of Nathalie Loiseau, the Renaissance, and that of the IDU, conducted by Jean-Christophe Lagarde.

On the european taxation as such, the parties do not propose a tax on the people, but rather a tax on certain goods or services, or perhaps on some companies, this to achieve specific goals. The list LREM proposes a taxation of european digital companies who have more than 750 million euros of turnover, the famous "tax Gafa" that France has taken the decision to apply only. The Republicans insist on the need for a protectionist policy encouraging the domestic demand by taxing certain imports, "on the model of the Buy American Act". A tax socio-environmental boundaries is also considered for a "green protectionism".

An idea taken to the left, including the list of Generations.s, which wants to establish a "shield bio" of taxes on the food for extra-european, to finance organic agriculture. The advantage of Benoît Hamon also wants to "tax the robots" in order to preserve the competitiveness of human labour. The communist Party wants his side to establish the "territorialization" of the tax and the deduction at source for companies" to fight against tax evasion. On the side of the lists of the "yellow vests", the Alliance yellow led by Francis Lalanne advocated the Tobin tax on global financial transactions, but also the taxation of kerosene. As to the parties eurosceptics who want to leave the european Union, such as the UPR or The Patriots of Florian Philippot, they do not offer logically no plans for a joint tax system.

• fighting against unemployment?

Although the unemployment fell to the lowest since ten years in the euro area, to 7.8% (and 6.5% in the EU), employment remains one of the main concerns of the French. The list LREM proposes to establish "a Guaranteed Zero Unemployment": an envelope of € 15,000 maximum, which would allow "everyone" to be funded "if he wants to train to get out of unemployment or to continue their studies". This list also provides help, with a budget of up to € 20,000, "every worker whose business is affected by digital transformations and ecological, so they can be reconvert". For its part, the program PS-Public Square defending the idea of a "shield job" to support the national systems of unemployment insurance in times of crisis and help maintain the jobs. While the PCF and BIA propose to act on the relocation, the national Rally calls for "promoting the relocation of human activities and focus on the short circuits, the localism". The Republicans believe that the establishment of a "double preference", european and French, on the model of the "Buy American Act", will give "priority to our businesses and our jobs".

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Date Of Update: 22 May 2019, 23:00