Ecolo wants to give every young person at the age of 25 a “universal solidarity capital” of 30,000 euros. That was one of the proposals this weekend at the ‘social congress’ of the French-speaking greens in Brussels.
The proposal for universal seed capital over 25 years would cost 2.5 billion euros and could be financed, according to Ecolo, by a 1 percent tax on the wealth of the very rich. “KU Leuven has calculated that this intervention would generate 6 billion euros. Our proposal is to allocate half of this to young people,” says Ecolo co-chairman Rajae Maouane, who explained the proposal in the French-language newspaper DH.
With the money, young people could, for example, “start projects, start training or invest in access to housing”. “It’s good for the young person, but also for society as a whole,” explains Maouane.
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The green proposal comes on top of a series of proposals from other parties. For example, PS chairman Paul Magnette previously spoke out in favor of the idea of a basic income for young people between the ages of 18 and 25. MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez previously spoke of a “youth camp” of 25,000 euros for young people between 18 and 25 years old, a proposal that seems to be close to the Ecolo proposal, but in which there are conditions. For example, the money must be used for a study project, the purchase of a first home or the start-up of a commercial activity. Finally, the party Les Engagés, the former cdH, advocates a monthly participation income of 600 euros for everyone over 18 years of age.
The proposal of the ‘universal solidarity capital’ was only one of the proposals at the Ecolo congress. The Francophone Greens also launched proposals on housing benefits, the abolition of VAT on fruit and vegetables and the right to a sabbatical or sabbatical year for everyone during his/her career. “Because if we want everyone to have the right to a fulfilled life, it is not just money that counts, but time must also be redistributed collectively,” said co-chairman Jean-Marc Nollet.
The intention is to further refine all proposals and include them in the party program for the 2024 elections.
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