Pushing Military Spending and Neoliberal Austerity, French PM Emulates Trump

By C.J. Polychroniou

July 18, 2025

Source: Truthout

Image by Thomas Padilla, Creative Commons 4.0

On July 4, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill“ Act into law, implementing his reactionary policy agenda. This megabill is the most sweeping legislation in modern U.S. history and elevates neoliberalism to a new stage with huge tax cuts for the rich and equally huge cuts to the social safety net, including food programs and Medicaid coverage. Indeed, those who somehow interpreted Trump’s policies as representing an end to the neoliberal order in the U.S. could hardly have been more wrong.

Now, it is the turn of the French government to show the world that neoliberalism remains the dominant organizing principle for advanced capitalist societies. Confronted with a faltering economy, big budget deficits, and record-high debt levels, the government of Prime Minister François Bayrou has unveiled a budget plan that shares some uncanny similarities with Trump’s megabill, although it is surely not as brutal as the “Big Ugly Bill” will be for most U.S. citizens.

The French budget plan for 2026 seeks to restore public finances with proposals that include slashing thousands of civil service jobs, shutting down so-called “unproductive” national agencies, cutting prescription drug subsidies, reducing health care expenditure by €5 billion, and freezing pensions and virtually all other benefits paid out by the government to 2025 levels. The controversial budget plan proposed by the French prime minister also includes abolishing two statutory holidays from the country’s annual calendar — Easter Monday and May 8. The latter, known as Victory Day, is a pivotal holiday that commemorates the victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany. The government claims that abolishing those two public holidays would generate several billion euros in additional state revenues through increased economic activity. The French prime minister has also left open the possibility of additional statutory holidays receiving the axe.

All in all, the proposed budget plan aims at €43.8 billion ($50.88 billion) in deficit reduction for 2026 in order to return the public deficit to 4.6 percent of France’s gross domestic product (GDP), from its current 5.8 percent, and to 2.9 percent of GDP by 2029.

“It’s the last stop before the cliff, before we are crushed by the debt,” Bayrou said in a speech to members of parliament, cabinet members, and journalists, invoking Greece’s debt crisis of more than a decade ago as a warning of what could be in store for France. Currently, France’s public debt is at 114 percent of the country’s GDP and is the third-largest in Europe, behind Greece and Italy.

Across Europe, neoliberals are still using the Greek debt crisis to create fear in public consciousness about government spending so they can enforce draconian austerity measures without opposition or public outcry. Incidentally, the Greek debt crisis erupted in late 2009, when the nation’s public debt-to-GDP ratio had climbed to 118 percent and interest rates began to rise substantially, with the 10-year government bond yield surging over 11 percent in late 2010 as the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio trended around 128 percent and was deemed unsustainable.

Nearly 25 years later, Greece’s economy is still stuck in the same outmoded growth model of the early 2000s, and the government debt-to-GDP ratio stands today at 146 percent but is now assumed by markets and the euro masters to be sustainable. Three massive bailouts from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund worth a staggering total of nearly €310 billion ($360 billion), accompanied by the most sadistic fiscal policies in the postwar era, devastated economic activity and resulted in constantly growing unemployment, which in 2014 rose as high as 28 percent, alongside an alarming rise in suicide rates.

That’s the logic of neoliberal financial capitalism for you, a system that is structured to be brutally exploitative with a powerful stranglehold over the real economy, serving only a privileged few and inherently prone to crises but always counting on rescues from Big Government through massive bailouts.

But there is more obscenity included in the French government budget plan than already mentioned. Just like Trump’s megabill, Bayrou’s budget plan slashes the social safety net but expands the defense budget. Indeed, the proposed cuts in the social safety net and even the assault on French labor through the abolition of a historically significant holiday like Victory Day are made precisely in order to make room for increases in military spending. President Emmanuel Macron announced on July 13 that France will boost military spending significantly due to growing regional uncertainties, with Russia allegedly representing the biggest threat to European security. In fact, Macron went so far as to make the outrageous statement that the steep increases in military spending are needed because Europe is under a greater threat than at any other point since the end of World War II. Subsequently, Bayrou’s budget plan will add €3.5 billion to the 2026 defense budget and €3 billion to the 2027 budget. Bayrou himself declared the defense budget to be “sacrosanct” and exempt from budget cuts.

Neoliberal economics is of course tightly linked to militarism and warmongering. Most NATO countries are boosting their military spending to 5 percent of GDP, largely because the alliance remains subservient to the United States and European leaders want to appease Donald Trump, who has threatened to disengage from NATO over the U.S. paying an “unfair share” as member. But in so doing, the European governments become full and willing partners in the militaristic adventures of the United States, which now views China, not Russia, as the biggest threat to its supremacy. In any case, the idea that Russia somehow has strategic aims to militarily attack Europe is as ludicrous as it is nonsensical. To what end? A question never asked by European leaders and therefore never answered.

Nonetheless, thanks to its multi-party system, the political environment in France is radically different from the one that exists in the United States, and the odds that the budget measures proposed by Bayrou’s government will pass are probably small. First, Bayrou leads a minority government and his budget plan faces opposition from both the left and the far right. In fact, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing party La France Insoumise, has already called for Bayrou’s resignation, while Marine Le Pen, leader of the far right National Rally, has threatened to topple the government if it doesn’t roll back the spending plan. Interestingly enough, both the left and the far right in France see the government budget plan as something of a class war budget. As hard as it may be to imagine a far right leader adopting a working-class perspective, Le Pen took to X to declare that “this government prefers to attack the French people, workers and pensioners, rather than hunt waste.” Indeed, the French government also risks backlash over its austerity-driven budget plan from some of the country’s major trade unions, and it is highly unlikely that the majority of French citizens will swallow cuts in the social safety net while military spending receives a major boost.

Lest we forget, the previous French prime minister, Michel Barnier, was forced to resign in December 2024, just three months into his term. Left-wing lawmakers and unions had consistently opposed the plans of the Barnier government to slash the state budget by many billions of euros in order to shrink the deficit. Eventually, the French government collapsed after Barnier tried to pass a social security bill (a key component of the government’s budget proposal) without parliamentary approval. In a rare display of cooperation, left and far right lawmakers joined forces to pass a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Barnier.

Given the state of French politics and society, it is quite likely that the current government of François Bayrou will meet the same fate as that of Michel Barnier’s government. If that were to happen, it would certainly be yet another victory in the ongoing struggle of the ever-rebellious French people against the cruelty of neoliberalism.

 

Crafting the Collective – Tijs Boelens’ Vision for a Farmer-Led Grain Revival

By Adèle Pautrat

July 18, 2025

Source: Resilience

Image by Adèle Pautrat

If we want local food systems to thrive, every link in the chain must be nurtured: seeds must be saved, farmers must earn a fair price, processors must adapt their methods—and consumers must be able to afford to buy the final product. Crafting a story and connecting people are centrally important to successfully cultivating biodiversity, as Belgian farmer Tijs Boelens has found out in his work to integrate heritage grains into the supply chain. Portrait by Adèle Pautrat.

Tijs Boelens didn’t grow up with heritage grains. When he started out as a market gardener at the De Groentelaar farm with three other people, he had little faith in them. Based on the knowledge he had at the time, yields of heritage grains seemed far too low to seriously consider reintegrating them into viable farming systems.

At the initiative of one of his colleagues, who was passionate about biodiversity, three local grain varieties were nonetheless sown on the farm. Tijs—curious and gradually inspired by his colleague’s seed-saving activities—began multiplying the Heliaro variety. Often mistaken for a traditional landrace because of its suitability for biodynamic farming, Heliaro actually combines a rustic appearance with the agronomic performance typical of modern wheat.

Treasures of the terroir—with technical constraints

Through his involvement in a Local Action Group, Tijs was invited in 2017 to take part in the Let’s Liberate Diversity forum, held at the Hayon farm in Belgium. There, he became aware of the true significance of the work he and his colleagues had been doing—somewhat naively—with heritage varieties, or landraces (‘variétés de pays’) as he prefers to call them.

“I realised that the key issue in what we do isn’t producing wheat in large quantities, but rather multiplying rare local varieties, which are a real treasure for the development of our regional terroirs.”

Through the Local Action Group, Tijs was already involved in a project to reconnect the region’s mills and bakeries with the production of local cereals. He considered using traditional varieties within this framework but quickly faced a technical and economic reality: the yields per hectare of ancient varieties were too low—mainly due to the limited availability of seeds and their lower productivity—to meet the production and processing requirements of the project.

I asked Tijs about the difference in yields between ancient and modern wheat. He gave me concrete figures: with ancient varieties, he currently harvests between 3 and 4 tons per hectare, compared to 6 to 8 tons per hectare in organic farming for modern varieties.

This imbalance makes the equation particularly complex: how to guarantee a fair income for farmers and an affordable price for consumers?

It’s particularly difficult for the bakery sector. Artisanal bread already fetches high prices—up to €6 for an organic sourdough loaf in Belgium—which limits accessibility, a problematic issue for a basic staple.

From baking in complexity to brewing a solution

Tijs then came up with the idea to turn to other partners: brewers. Unlike bread, beer can more easily be sold at a higher price—provided it is associated with a strong, meaningful story.

This is how he started a collaboration with the 3 Fonteinen brewery, located in the Pajottenland region. Seeds4All has already dedicated two articles to this project, which we invite you to read or reread: here and here.

At the time, Tijs chose the 3 Fonteinen because it produces lambic and gueuze, traditional beers historically brewed using the “petit rouge du Brabant,” a local wheat that Tijs was seeking to reintroduce in his region. The brewery, for its part, clearly wished to deepen its roots in the local terroir. The partnership between the two built around two complementary goals—the search for a lost wheat variety and the pursuit of terroir quality—anchored firmly in locality.

As part of this collaboration, Tijs and his partner Lucas van den Abeele (see the articles mentioned above) embarked on an extensive quest for heritage varieties. They gathered samples from gene banks, farms, and conservation associations across Belgium, England, Wales, Ireland, Georgia, France, and more.

The trials were conducted at the De Groentelaar farm, where season after season Tijs built a rich collection of varieties that he still stores today in refrigerators. His passion and commitment to cereal diversity officially took a central place in his work.

Tijs’s primary goal is not to create diversity for its own sake: he does not seek to develop or combine all the varieties he collects. What he aims for is the preservation and multiplication of landraces as well as other varieties he deems relevant according to conditions, uses, or needs he identifies locally.

“If you mix everything together, you lose key phenotypic specificities. You always have to be careful to conserve as many varieties intact as possible, while also experimenting with blends.”

His approach to variety management is based on dynamic management. Each year, Tijs selects certain varieties to cultivate depending on ongoing collaborations, specific requests from his partners—or simply his own interests. He recalls, for example, that one year his sole goal was to showcase a highly diverse selection of ancient wheat to the public as part of awareness-raising activities.

Fermenting local wheat, adapting to local tastes

Never short of projects, in 2019 Tijs decided to develop, in collaboration with the Brussels brewery De la Senne, a new beer which he named Teirf—a word from a Flemish dialect meaning “local wheat.”

After a few trials, the brewery decided not to continue with the project. Tijs explains the reasons as follows: with traditional varieties, it is difficult to create recipes that are perfectly reproducible, capable of guaranteeing a consistent taste from one batch to another.

This challenge was much less of an issue for the production of lambics and gueuzes, whose long fermentation—typical of these traditional beers—naturally causes variations from one batch to the next. This is even an integral part of the product’s identity. But for more standard beers, this instability is a major drawback in the minds of many brewers.

In 2023, after a break forced by the pandemic, Tijs revived the Teirf project with a new partner: the Belgoo brewery, located in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, just a few kilometres from his farm. This time, the collaboration took root. The beer was created, circulated, and won over consumers — today it can be found in organic grocery stores in Brussels. (And yes, we’ve tasted it: it’s definitely worth trying!)

Crafting a cooperative—and a peasant beer

Tijs’s ambitions don’t stop there. Thanks to networking in recent years, he is now surrounded by an increasing number of cereal growers, brewers, and bakers. His goal is to motivate them to create a cooperative dedicated to the promotion of products made from local varieties, grown and processed entirely locally.

Within this framework, for example, Teirf could become a type of beer rather than a brand or name — as with IPA for example. It would then embody a very particular identity: that of a peasant beer, based on a specification that values both cultivated biodiversity and wild biodiversity. Each member brewery of the cooperative could then produce its own version of Teirf.

In connection with this cooperative project, Tijs is currently in discussions with the network of artisan bakers (RAB — which brings together about twenty artisan bakeries from Wallonia and Brussels), two Flemish bakeries, one pizzeria, and several breweries. But rallying people around cultivated biodiversity is far from easy.

Motivating farmers, first and foremost, is a delicate task. As Tijs humorously puts it, “getting farmers moving is like trying to push a wheelbarrow full of frogs.” Solidarity among farmers certainly exists — despite decades of industrialisation that have weakened it. But solidarity does not automatically turn into cooperation. It takes time, listening, and a strong enough collective vision to inspire people to commit.

Convincing processors is no easier. Heritage varieties, often unstable during processing, require extensive adaptation. Adjusting recipes, rethinking working methods, revising infrastructure — all this demands specific technical expertise, time, and often investments that artisans cannot always afford.

Finally, consumers must be engaged. In a short supply chain without intermediaries, the connection between producers and consumers is direct. This requires full transparency and the ability to explain, persuade, and build loyalty.

Shaping a living narrative around shared convictions

According to Tijs, the sine qua non for the success of such a collective endeavour lies in the clarity and strength of the common goal. There must be a deep alignment of convictions, a shared vision that inspires trust and determination — because endurance and courage are needed to take on such a vast undertaking as transforming agri-food systems.

For Tijs, the symbolic dimension — what he calls “mythology” — is absolutely essential in any collective transition. Of course, scientific arguments, whether nutritional, agronomic, or ecological, play a role in demonstrating the value of alternative varieties. But in many cases, these arguments, however sound, remain too abstract or too disconnected from people’s everyday experiences.

What truly makes a difference and genuinely mobilises people is the story being told. A story rooted in real facts, enriched with anecdotes and gestures that may sometimes be partially reinvented but always carry meaning. It’s not about indulging in fiction for its own sake but about shaping a living narrative that speaks to the heart, builds connections, and inspires commitment.

Invisible ties take centre stage

In this spirit, Tijs has already collaborated with the multidisciplinary collective Future Farmers, whose performances and artistic interventions explore the visible and invisible links between humans and cereals.

The next performative project imagined by Future Farmers will take place next September, marking the inauguration of the very first mill installed inside a Brussels café, Café Mazette. This venue, already committed to making its own artisanal breads using natural sourdough, aims to go further in its quality standards and short supply chain approach by producing its own flour on-site too.

Tijs will supply them with the grains, and for the first delivery, the Future Farmers collective has conceived a staging that is both poetic and political: a boat will travel up the Senne canal from Hal to central Brussels, carrying sacks of grain. Once docked, a festive procession will take over, transporting the sacks to the Jeu de Balle square, where Café Mazette is located.

This powerful action highlights the invisible routes that connect rural areas to cities — especially regarding food supply. It embodies, both symbolically and concretely, the vital role of short supply chains and pays tribute to the work of local artisans who tirelessly strive to ensure the diversity and quality of the products we eat and drink.

Guided by goodwill and trust

In addition to being a passionate seed artisan, Tijs is truly a craftsman of the collective. To conduct this interview, I agreed to accompany him on his weekly delivery round in Brussels — because Tijs is also a market gardener, and his farm supplies vegetables to cafés and restaurants in the capital.

At every stop, the same scene plays out: smiles, handshakes, news about projects, laughter. It becomes clear that Tijs relies heavily on goodwill, trust, and the confidence he inspires in others to bring people together, spark collaborations, and persuade others to work with him — and with each other. Deep down, this may well be his guiding principle.

But this gift for building connections comes at a cost: it requires a great deal of time, and that time cannot be monetised. Tijs is fully aware of this, and is now paying increasing attention to the need to structure and sustainably fund his vision of a small-scale, farmer-led supply chain.

This September, we’ll have the pleasure of welcoming Tijs as one of the speakers at our workshop held as part of the 14th edition of the Let’s Liberate Diversity forum. Entitled Seed Diversity Down to Earth, the workshop will take a grounded look at the practical needs and bold ideas shaping the infrastructure, exchange systems, and public/private support needed to boost genetic diversity on farms and plates. See you there?Email

Adèle Pautrat

Adèle Pautrat has a degree in political science and international cooperation, and has developed an expertise on agro-ecological transition and agrobiodiversity issues, while working as a coordinator for the Belgian NGO Artemisia. She is now in charge of the integration of the Seeds4all project in the scope of work of ARC2020, also providing iconography missions for the NGO. As a second activity, Adèle works as a freelance photographer.

 

A Five-Pronged Strategy to End Plastic Pollution in Bangladesh—With People at the Center

By Rizwana Akhter

July 18, 2025

Source: Pressenza

Image by Ravi Khemka, Creative Commons 2.0

Despite having over 5,000 plastic-producing industries, Bangladesh has fewer than 300 mostly informal recycling plants, leaving it ill-equipped to handle the 400 tons of daily plastic waste, including 646 tons from Dhaka alone. Of the estimated 87,000 tonnes of single-use plastic consumed annually, only 37% is recycled. Methane from open dumpsites worsens air quality, while 63% of plastic waste clogs drainage systems and contaminates rivers, forests, and coastal ecosystems. These cumulative impacts have caused Dhaka to frequently rank among the dirtiest cities in the world.

Addressing this crisis requires action across the entire plastic lifecycle—from production to disposal. A five-pronged strategy can help tackle root causes and enable sustainable, inclusive solutions.

1. Reducing Plastic Production at the Source

The most effective way to reduce plastic waste is to limit its generation from the outset. One powerful intervention is the promotion of refill systems for everyday consumer goods. Products like shampoo, cooking oil, detergent, and cleaning agents don’t need new plastic containers every time.

By scaling up refillable packaging models, we can:

• Minimize demand for virgin plastic
• Shift both consumer and industry behaviors
• Reduce the volume of plastic entering the environment

2. Promoting Biodegradable Alternatives

Biodegradable and compostable options such as jute-based packaging or maize-stalk extract bags must become more available, affordable, and mainstream. Investing in local innovation and the production of sustainable materials is key.

To scale these alternatives:

• Public-private partnerships and government incentives are needed
• Regulatory infrastructure (e.g., Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) certification technology and systems) must be improved to standardize quality and safety
• Support for research and development can position Bangladesh as a global leader in sustainable packaging, building on our historical strengths in jute production.

3. Recycling and Upcycling: Turning Waste into Wealth

Plastic waste can be transformed into valuable products through recycling and upcycling innovations, such as:

• Pyrolysis: Converting plastic into reusable fuel (pyrolysis oil)
• Shredded plastic products: Manufacturing household goods, furniture, bricks, or tiles
• Putting waste workers at the center of waste management and social entrepreneurship: Engaging waste workers directly in the recycling value chain enhancing their income, dignity, and role in the circular economy

However, barriers to scaling these solutions include:

• Lack of standards and quality certification
• Regulatory challenges
• Market competition with imported fuels (e.g., diesel)

Strategic investment and policy reforms are essential to unlock the full potential of these technologies.

4. Applying the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Although Bangladesh adopted a National 3Rs Strategy in 2010, its implementation remains limited even after a decade and a half. The absence of waste segregation at source continues to hinder recycling efforts.

To strengthen the 3Rs approach:

• Nationwide awareness campaigns on plastic pollution and responsible plastic use are needed
• All formal and informal facilities (households and commercial entities) must have waste bins for at least three waste categories
• Infrastructure for household-level segregation must be developed
• Targeted interventions should focus on informal and semi-urban areas, where systems are weakest

5. Driving Behavioral Change

Behavioral shifts are central to any sustainable waste management strategy. For example:

• While many urban consumers use cloth or jute bags at supermarkets, single-use plastics still dominate informal marketplaces
• Promoting the use of reusable containers for daily essentials can reduce packaging waste
• Tackling the social stigma around refilling and reuse is critical to making circular models viable
• Incorporating plastic pollution and responsible plastic use into the school curriculum is essential for long-term change

Behavioral change is not only about awareness, but it also requires accessible systems and incentives that make sustainable choices easier for individuals and businesses alike.

Cross-Sector Coordination Is Key

Tackling plastic pollution in Bangladesh is a complex but solvable challenge, and success depends on strong coordination across sectors, especially among key government actors:

• The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD): through LGED and city corporations; manages waste collection and disposal
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) leads on policy and regulatory frameworks
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare plays a vital role in medical waste management

Beyond government, stronger, long-term collaboration is essential among NGOs (e.g., Practical Action, BRAC, Arannayak Foundation) and corporates (e.g., Bangladesh Petrochemical Company Ltd.(BPCL), Unilever) leading projects on waste worker empowerment, plastic recycling, and circular economy models. By sharing insights, aligning goals, and supporting one another, these actors can create broader, more lasting impact. Together—with the right mix of policy reform, community engagement, innovation, and inclusive partnerships—we can move closer to a circular economy that serves both people and the planet.

Support from governments, donors, innovators, and allies is also crucial—not just to protect the environment, but to restore dignity, income, and opportunity for communities most affected by plastic pollution. NGOs must actively seek funding, forge strategic alliances, and tell powerful stories that highlight both the resilience of waste workers and the transformative promise of circular solutions.

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Rizwana Akhter

Rizwana Akhter is an environment enthusiast and development professional with over 23 years of experience. This article is based on her personal research and professional insights, does not reflect the views of any organization.