In a bid to breathe new life into France’s rural communities, legislators have overwhelmingly approved a bill aimed at making it easier to open cafés and bars in villages that currently do not have them. The measure, which garnered near-unanimous support in the French parliament with 156 votes in favour and just two against, will now move to the Senate for further approval.
France was once home to around 200,000 cafés, which often served as the heart of social life in towns and villages. However, between the 1960s and 2015, that number had dwindled to just 36,000, with the majority of closures occurring in rural areas, according to a report from the France Boissons industry body and the CREDOC consumer studies agency.
This decline has left many small villages without a communal meeting place, a trend believed to have contributed to social isolation and economic stagnation.
A new bill, championed by centrist lawmaker Guillaume Kasbarian, seeks to reverse this downturn by relaxing the strict regulations surrounding the establishment of new bars with Type-4 alcohol licenses, which permit the sale of spirits with more than 18% alcohol content.
“The new legislation, which would loosen strict restrictions on new bar permits to sell hard liquor, does away with an old and obsolete legal framework,” Kasbarian is quoted by France 24.
Under the current system, no new Type-4 alcohol licenses can be issued, meaning prospective bar owners must wait for an existing establishment to close before acquiring one. The new legislation would change this by allowing café owners in villages with fewer than 3,500 residents and no existing Type-4 bar to apply for a brand-new permit, subject to approval by the local mayor.
An amendment introduced by the centre-right MoDem party further expanded the bill’s scope, giving municipalities the option to approve an additional bar, rather than just one.
While it remains unclear how many villages stand to benefit from the law, France’s Association of Mayors reports that 31,000 of the country’s 35,000 municipalities fall within the population threshold set by the bill.
CONCERNS OVER CONSUMPTION
Supporters argue that reopening bars and cafés will strengthen social ties, stimulate local economies and create jobs, but despite widespread support, the bill has faced criticism from those concerned about potential health risks associated with increased alcohol consumption.
Opponents argue that rural areas often lack adequate social services to support individuals struggling with alcohol dependency. Some have questioned why the legislation prioritises Type-4 licenses instead of focusing on Type-3 permits – those that allow the sale of beer and wine.
There are also concerns that the measure could be expanded in the future, allowing larger towns and cities to introduce more spirit-selling bars.
However, proponents counter that alcohol is already easily accessible at supermarkets and that the benefits of restoring village cafés outweigh the potential downsides.
With alcohol consumption linked to approximately 49,000 deaths annually in France, according to the French health ministry, the debate over balancing cultural tradition and public health remains a key issue as the bill heads to the Senate for final approval.
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