Six convictions, expressed as measures that can be judged.

01 · Institutions

Open referendum initiatives to citizens without abandoning safeguards.

Citizens could initiate a national referendum on a precise question. Before a vote, there would be constitutional scrutiny, fair information and sufficient time for a debate in which opposing views can be heard.

Proposed mechanism

• Accessible collection of support online or at town halls, supervised by an independent authority.
• As a working basis, a threshold of 1% of registered voters, geographically distributed.
• Before a campaign, scrutiny of whether the question is clear, addresses a single issue and respects fundamental rights.
• A public dossier giving equal space to arguments for and against.

Law and timetable

Under current law, citizens cannot initiate a national referendum on their own. The proposal would require a constitutional amendment under Article 89 and then an organic law. A bill could be presented in 2027, but adoption would also depend on Parliament.

Funding

The platform, verification of support and organisation of a ballot have costs that must be established using public references before a decision. Combining a vote with an existing election could be examined, without compromising electoral safeguards.

Evaluation

Indicators would include submitted and admissible initiatives, participation, the time needed to implement decisions and the actual cost of each ballot. A public review after five years would allow changes. The threshold and quorum remain open to discussion.

Read the legal explainer — French

02 · Public integrity

Make meetings that can influence public decisions visible.

Transparency cannot depend only on lobbyists. Public decision-makers should also show whom they meet and what is discussed.

Proposed mechanism

Senior executive office-holders would regularly publish external meetings in a reusable format: the organisation met, subject and participants. Exceptions would be limited to security and secrets genuinely protected by law.

Law and timetable

An initial requirement could apply to the executive. Extending it to public administrations and parliamentary bodies would require instruments suited to their respective powers. Implementation should be gradual, independently scrutinised and include a right to correct records.

Funding

The proposal would build on existing public tools rather than starting from scratch. Development, accessibility and scrutiny would have to be budgeted before implementation.

Evaluation

Publication delays, corrections, actual reuse of data and identified failures would show whether the measure works.

03 · The real economy

Give small businesses practical access to public procurement.

The aim is not to promise a legally untenable national preference. It is to remove the paperwork and delays that effectively exclude smaller firms.

Proposed mechanism

• A tender application file reusable for one year.
• Automatic payment of late-payment interest when a public buyer exceeds the legal deadline.
• Closer scrutiny of dividing contracts into lots and publication of the share actually awarded to micro, small and medium-sized businesses.
• Use of whole-life cost and environmental impact criteria where directly related to the contract.

Law and timetable

The measure operates within France’s Public Procurement Code and European rules. Regulatory simplification could begin in 2027; legislative changes would follow consultation.

Funding

The initial effort is organisational. Before setting a new uniform payment deadline, the effects of faster payment on public cash flow must be assessed honestly.

Evaluation

The share of contracts obtained by smaller firms, median payment time, required documents and proportion of contracts divided into lots would indicate whether access has improved.

04 · Privacy

Prove age without surrendering identity.

Protecting minors does not justify creating an identifiable record of people’s intimate lives. Both requirements must be met.

Proposed mechanism

The service visited would receive only an answer to one question: has the required age threshold been reached? It would not receive civil identity or other information. The verifying third party would not know the person’s browsing history.

Law and timetable

The system must comply with the GDPR, the European digital identity framework and Arcom standards. No detailed bill should be presented before a public opinion from the French data protection authority, the CNIL.

Funding

Audits and certification will have costs that remain to be established. A platform centralising citizens’ habits should not be funded.

Evaluation

Independent audits, reported incidents, complaints and the actual availability of privacy-preserving solutions would be the relevant indicators.

05 · Local healthcare

Make waiting times visible, then reduce them where the need is greatest.

Before promising an ideal distance that cannot be guaranteed everywhere, policy must examine the time patients actually experience, area by area.

Proposed mechanism

A public map, updated quarterly, would show access times for primary care. In underserved areas, the proposal is for one clear practice agreement, practical housing and administrative support, and strictly supervised task-sharing between healthcare professionals.

Law and timetable

A national assessment would begin in 2027, followed by trials in willing local areas. Wider implementation would depend on results, while respecting freedom to choose a practice location and patient safety.

Funding

Existing support should be combined and simplified before new spending is added. The net budget would include both costs and savings actually demonstrated, rather than treating savings as certain in advance.

Evaluation

Median appointment waiting time, people without a regular doctor, people foregoing care and avoidable emergency department visits would anchor the assessment in lived experience.

Read the sourced dossier on underserved areas and small municipalities — French

06 · Equality before the law

Measure discrimination so that it can be addressed.

It is possible to examine the practices of large organisations without creating personal ethnicity files. The proposal seeks to hold that boundary.

Proposed mechanism

Annual testing campaigns would follow a public protocol in employment, housing and selected public services. Organisations would have an opportunity to respond. Consolidated results and corrective action would be made public.

Law and timetable

The Defender of Rights and the courts would retain all their powers. Any new penalty would require legislation and meaningful appeal rights. A first baseline campaign could take place in 2028.

Funding

The budget can only be established once the sample and method are defined. Publishing a figure beforehand would be misleading.

Evaluation

Differences would be tracked using a stable sample and compared with completed corrective plans, repeated failures and the actual response to reports.

A national programme still being developed

Six measures are published. Other responsibilities of the state are not being ignored. Each topic below requires a proposal setting out its legal basis, funding, expected effects and objections. Inclusion in this roadmap is not yet a definitive promise.

Public finances

Debt, taxation and the effectiveness of spending: establish a contested and evidence-based assessment before promising tax cuts or new spending. Costings remain to be published.

Education

Core knowledge and accountable autonomy: distinguish national requirements, educational teams’ responsibilities and public evaluation. Consultation remains to be opened.

Justice

Delays, enforcement and access to law: begin with actual waiting times and the implementation of judgments. The diagnosis needs sources.

Security

Presence, prevention and oversight: define operational means consistent with freedoms and judicial scrutiny. Safeguards remain to be drafted.

Immigration and integration

Applicable rules, enforcement and dignity: distinguish reception, asylum, residence, integration and removal. A dossier remains to be developed.

Energy

Sovereignty, prices and decarbonisation: compare production, grid and demand-reduction scenarios with full costs.

Agriculture

Income, succession and resilience: work with producers on standards, added value and generational renewal. Hearings remain to be organised.

Defence

National protection and strategic autonomy: relate missions, alliances, industrial capacity and budgets. A doctrine remains to be published.

Europe and diplomacy

Cooperation with clear responsibility: state what should be decided in France, negotiated in Europe or pursued with allies. Choices remain to be explained.

Housing

Building, renovation and returning properties to use: assess land, standards, taxation and delays together. A measure remains to be developed.

Social protection

Pensions, work and solidarity: make transfers, accrued rights and effects between generations visible. Costings remain to be published.

Climate and local communities

Adaptation without abandonment: prioritise water, heat, fires, coasts, transport and infrastructure according to local risks.

A programme open to challenge

If a measure seems weak, challenge it with evidence: identify the disputed point, provide a source and propose an alternative. Where this leads to a substantial correction, the change should be dated and visible.

Send an evidence-based contribution — French form · Public corrections log — French