One day we will come out of our confinement. In a week, a month, maybe more, isolation will end. Because we have hope in mankind, we trust it will overcome this challenge as it did already before, either by the genius of scientists, or by the resilience of people. Probably by the simultaneous combination of both strengths, and even somewhat of luck. These times of collective introspection can be useful. They must be. After only a few days, most of us acknowledge that nothing would be the same again. "If you're going through hell, keep going" said Churchill during the dark hours. This is what we are going to do, ardently, courageously, collectively. But once lockdown ends, we will all have to face up our new world. To that extent, let's brainstorm collectively the "following day".

To be different, our society must proceed a citizens’ aggiornamento: an update of our way of thinking. The ambition is to adapt to reality. A new form of reality that we had not anticipated: feverish, violent, unpredictable. For this citizens’ aggiornamento, let us start by reconsidering and debating a few ideas which have been relegated, for unknown reasons, to a strict lockdown, which could even be called the cemetery of ideas.

Here and there we witness mouvements and political parties calling for a brainstorming around this so-called "following day". We also noticed this reference at the heart of the French Presidential speeches: "We will have to identify the key takeaways from the current period, questioning the development model in which our world has engaged for decades and which reveals its failure on a large scale […] The coming months will require drastic decisions in this direction”. We want to echo this message, like an anthem, across the whole country, so that it becomes mandatory. The time has come to trigger decisive actions.

Our ambition for the "following day" is to be go-betweens/ brokers for new ideas. Let’s echo breakthrough ideas and citizen initiatives. We have listed out a few of them, without being exhaustive, and we are calling for multiple contributions from across the country and in the European Union. We have been plagued for ages by the frozen debate both for public and political issues. This debate has reached an emergency level. Let us “chew the fat” again to shed light on the possible paths and think our problems differently from those which generated them: a citizens’ aggiornamento necessary to get out of our intellectual lockdown.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" noticed Orwell in Animal Farm. Has the French Revolution built a more egalitarian society? In the light of lockdown, we can question the high contrast between some of the French citizens and their fellows embodying casual attitude. If we want to perpetuate the social model that is saving us today, during such a health crisis, our individual and equitable contribution to the collective effort must be questioned again.

We can no longer stand that the wealthy break the rules of national solidarity because of tax evasion which undermines common good. That is the reason why we suggest a universal tax which will oblige each citizen to pay its own and fair contribution on revenu, wherever he/she may live. We support a reciprocal solidarity pact, while respecting the tax’s acceptability by everyone. We believe this universal system should also include the needy, even at a symbolic level, as a prerequisite to benefit from the Welfare State. 

We propose a universal tax, committing each citizen to pay his Income Tax regardless of his residence, even from the most modest of us, even symbolically, as a prerequisite to benefit from the welfare state. Each and everyone of us will then value and respect public action, its services and its teams.

While the political class unanimously acknowledges climate change and ecological damage, the earth is burning on and on. Let us ratify once and for all in the French Constitution constraining measures, even the simplest and obvious ones which are not respected today. Let us support the initiative launched by certain French deputies for a constitutional bill to include the preservation of the environment in the Constitution’s First article. Let us also follow the input given from the French Citizen Convention on Climate (CCC) which has just transmitted 50 recommendations to the President of the French Republic.

Let us debate, for example, the idea of ​​an individual carbon credit: this would take into account both our collective objectives of respecting carbon quotas but also individual situations of carbon consumption. The needs related to professional obligations, and certified as such by the employer, would be distinguished from the needs related to hobbies. Like a cellphone and the associated data subscription. Then each and everyone would be given a standard carbon credit which level could be adjusted, for example for necessary business travel needs, with the corresponding individual or corporate tax impacts.

Facing the chaos generated by this invisible enemy, we have reasons to hope: real solidarity, at the local and the European levels, must become new principles of society. 

At the local level, the creativity and solidarity shown spontaneously by many citizens, whether towards the elderly, isolated people, or victims of the digital gap, are initiatives to be encouraged. It is critical to perpetuate these innovations in the world of tomorrow by identifying them as of today.

At national level, our political leaders must brainstorm now on new public policies adressing the hopes of the “world of tomorrow".

At the European level, push came to shove. What are friends for, but to help you out in times of need. After crises such as the Greek debt, migration, and the Covid-19 pandemic, the time has come for the EU to prouve or not its ability for solidarity and a common future.

The next European Summit, on April 23rd, should enable the Eurogroup to ratify the agreement on releasing no less than 550 billion euros in addition to the 1000 billion euros injected by the European Central Bank. However, the question of corona-bonds remains open. Initiated by the President of the French Republic, the pooling of debts at European level will probably clarify this possibility for a common future or not, but it should also trigger awareness. Real steps forward sometimes require painful choices, even breakthroughs. Without an agreement on any topic, it is only window dressing. 

Let us consider all possible alternatives, without caricatures, including the balance of power, to save what the EU was created for: stability and peace.

We call today a citizens’ aggiornamento to prepare the “world of tomorrow”.