The French Parliament has provisionally supported a proposal requiring citizens to work seven hours a year for free to help address the budget deficit.
The amendment, proposed by center-right Senator Élisabeth Doineau, as part of the 2025 budget plan, stipulates that French citizens would have to work an additional seven hours annually without receiving compensation.
At the same time, employers would be required to pay additional social security contributions for these hours worked.
The measure is expected to generate an additional €2.5 billion in revenue for the budget from the extra labor contributions. However, the proposal could still be rejected in the final budget reading.
Lawmakers and the French government are exploring various measures to reduce public spending and curb inflation. Earlier, there were suggestions to cancel one of the official public holidays, but no consensus was reached on which holiday should be removed.
The government of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, in its 2025 budget draft submitted to Parliament, aims to save €60 billion through spending cuts and tax increases.
