“A gadget? No, a revolution”: the youth bonus, but perhaps it would be more correct to call it a culture bonus, also arrives in France. And even there he encounters some perplexities to which the Minister of Culture Françoise Nyssen responded as follows, in announcing a significant variant with respect to the formula launched by the Renzi government in 2016: the "passe culture" will not be just a cash bonus but also “a new social and cultural network, addressed directly to citizens”.
In other words it will not only be a gift certificate but a geolocated App, downloadable by everyone and not just 18-year-olds, with a catalogue, diary and associated portfolio that “will allow you to know and access all the cultural offer close to where you are," explained the government minister Macron, who already during the election campaign had promised to import the measure into France as well, which in Italy, despite causing debate, was successful and was extended until 2019.
So in France the app will be downloadable by all citizens, this is the big news, while it is confirmed that the cash voucher, yes, will be intended only for 18-year-olds, as in Italy. "Eighteen-year-olds will therefore have a specific right: through the app, which will have a credit of 500 euros for them, they will also be able to make purchases", explains Françoise Nyssen.
The declared objective is to “combat inequalities in access to culture, overcoming economic and social barriers. Will be a culture GPS for everyone and concrete help for the youngest”. Meanwhile, to define the areas of application of the bonus, a committee of experts (politicians but also artists, museum directors and representatives of the world of education and associations) has been meeting which is also involving young people themselves to understand what they mean by culture.
It turns out that the concept is very broad and also includes travel, video games, concerts, cinema, cooking classes, sports tournaments, Spotify subscriptions. “There is no such thing as a good culture and a bad culture”, the French minister wanted to clarify, reiterating however that precise choices will have to be made. In the crosshairs, i.e. ready to be excluded, there would be video games, cultural and linguistic trips and catering. Instead, use on digital platforms such as Amazon and Netflix will be allowed, leaving the responsibility of distinguishing to the stupendous.
The app will be ready in the second quarter of the year, therefore not before April, and will initially be tested in 4 provinces: Seine-Saint-Denis (in the Parisian hinterland), Herault (in the south), Bas-Rhin (the of Strasbourg) and in Guyana, an overseas territory. The cost of the operation is around half a billion euros a year, and will involve 800.000 young people.
