Fight against the Bayrou budget: associations join the dance and announce a day of action on October 11

A general feeling of fed-up feeling. This is what Claire Thoury described in the "open letter to the voluntary sector" sent this Wednesday, September 3, in which the president of the Mouvement Associatif "calls for the mobilization of everyone on October 11." After the "Block Everything" movement of September 10 , and the day of demonstrations and strikes by the inter-union on September 18 , a new front of anger is opening up in October.

"It's no longer holding up," summarizes Claire Thoury in her letter after drawing up an alarming inventory of the non-profit sector. "For several years, the situation has been deteriorating dangerously, in a deafening silence, despite our repeated warnings," describes the spokesperson for the organization that brings together one in two associations.

Recalling the central role of community and civic engagement in our society – access for all to healthcare, sport, education, culture, rights, holidays; the fight against precariousness and isolation; environmental protection, “in all areas, from the first to the last kilometer in all spheres of daily life ” – Claire Thoury draws parallels between two realities.

On the one hand, "the needs (which) continue to increase: 2.4 million people are concerned by food aid; 2,159 children sleep on the streets , including 503 under three years old; the poverty rate which is increasing for the first time since 1996... " . On the other hand, "the means are diminishing. In 15 years, the share of subsidies has fallen by 41% in the budget of associations and almost a third say they are reviewing activities downwards in order to survive."

Thus, last April, for example, a decree published in the Official Journal confirmed the cancellation of 39.7 million euros in commitment authorization and 44.7 million in payment credits in the Youth and Community Life program. This is yet another blow to associations, already on the front line in the face of drastic cuts in social spending and state and local government budgets in 2024 and 2025. In this context, François Bayrou's 44 billion euro plan does not bode well for 2026.

As a result, in its assessment of the non-profit sector last spring, Recherches et Solidarités highlighted that, faced with a tense context, 34% of non-employer non-profit leaders and 37% of their employer counterparts were hesitant "to embark on new projects at the start of the school year . " "Around 40,000 leaders are even planning a reduction in their activities, including 12,000 employers," the organization pointed out.

At the heart of the budgetary storm: sports associations and those in the health and social, popular education and environmental sectors. One year after the Paris Olympics , sport is facing three challenges: "A shortage of volunteers, difficulty in renewing leadership, and a decline in collective investment ." Other sectors "are experiencing high levels of tension over financial resources and relationships with public partners."

But the "remarkable resilience" that the associative fabric has shown so far (70,000 new associations created each year) is no longer sufficient to compensate for the consequences of "inflation, the reduction in local authority funding, the elimination of subsidised jobs, the reduction in the number of civic service volunteers, collapsing budgets or threats to associative freedoms " , lists Claire Thoury.

"Our associative fabric is something marvelous, a common good that makes us proud and which must not be sacrificed by budget cuts," affirms the president of the Associative Movement who is calling for a general mobilization, the modalities of which will be discussed and defined in the coming weeks.

Until now accustomed to protesting quietly and closely with political decision-makers during previous budget cuts, the heads of associative networks have this time decided to call on public opinion to witness, while the Bayrou government has been on an ejection seat since the announcement of a vote of confidence in the National Assembly on September 8. The scale of the mobilization on October 11 remains to be seen. With its 1.5 million organizations, 20 million volunteers, and 1.8 million employees, the associative world has plenty to make itself heard.