Parliament confirms extension to all meals merchandise till the top of 2024 | EUROtoday

Dish of the day, sandwiches, salads, but in addition flour, meat, dough or bread… Meal vouchers will stay legitimate till the top of 2024 for any sort of meals buy. Parliament urgently adopted on Monday December 18, by a closing vote within the Senate, the extension of the exemption put in place in 2022.

The textual content, offered by the federal government as a measure to fight nonetheless excessive inflation, was adopted by 322 votes to 2 by senators within the night.

Pressed for time because the system was because of expire on the finish of 2023 if no legislative modifications have been made, the senators saved the identical editorial model as that adopted by the National Assembly on the finish of November. This will permit the system to come back into drive as shortly as attainable, “a very short-term necessity” in accordance with the Minister of Commerce, Olivia Grégoire.

The system permits some 5.4 million staff in France to make use of their “restaurant vouchers” to buy all varieties of meals merchandise on the cabinets, whereas they’re usually reserved for dishes bought by eating places and straight consumable merchandise.

The authorities, in favor of extending the system quickly, repeated Monday night that it could be open to a long-lasting reform of the meal voucher, significantly with a view to its dematerialization. “We need to modernize it, dust it off”, mentioned Olivia Grégoire. However, pure and easy sustainability “requires more in-depth work and consultation”she added.

“Risk of destabilization of the catering sector”

Les Républicains rapporteur Marie-Do Aeschlimann went in the identical course by asking for a broad vote with out modification “immediately and in the face of urgency”. She however highlighted the “reserves” issued by restaurateurs to which the Senate might be “vigilant”.

“We are not unaware of the risk of destabilization of the catering sector already strongly affected by successive crises. Likewise, we do not ignore the need to find a lasting solution for the purchasing power of the French because the policy of the check is akin to a bandage on a wooden leg”she continued.

Several environmentalist and centrist senators have additionally tried, in useless, to restrict the extension to 6 months – to June 30, 2024.