Union of the Environmentalist Left
Doing better, “faire mieux” for French people abroad
French citizens living abroad number around 3 million, a third of whom hold dual nationality. They form a vibrant political community, present in all regions of the world, a community rich in experience, solidarity, and commitment. However, they face the erosion of their rights, the disengagement of the state, and the privatization of public services by successive governments.
We oppose this abandonment with the principles of equality and fraternity.
Our elected representatives will defend a genuine program of solidarity for all French citizens abroad.
2026 CONSULAR ELECTIONS IN THE CONCENTRATION OF NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, CONNECTICUT AND BERMUDA
The platform of the ecological left
Our program, faithful to that of the New Popular Front, is inclusive, ecological and feminist.
It takes into account the programmatic guarantees of La France insoumise for the consular elections of 2026, the
thematic booklet “French people abroad: new rights, new solidarities” of the program L’Avenir en commun , as well as the
work of the only left-wing deputy of French people abroad: Karim Ben Cheikh of Génération·s.
Education
Promoting the teaching of French and advocating for inclusion
Guarantee free access to French as a Mother Tongue (FLAM) programs through sustainable public funding, and develop the FLAM network to ensure that all French children outside the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) have access to French language learning.
Ensure free access to the National Centre for Distance Education (CNED) , either as a supplement to (French) instruction or as a complete course of study, by providing the CNED with the resources necessary to fulfill its role as a public distance education institution. Request that tutoring fees be covered when offered, for example, by the Alliance Française.
Increase the budget allocated to school grants and broaden access to these grants. Eliminate or reduce the out-of-pocket expenses for families receiving grants and adapt the grant scale to the local realities of our district, taking into account the actual cost of living index. Improve information for the French community regarding the existence of these grants and the eligibility requirements. Our elected representatives will ensure that the criteria for awarding school scholarships are transparent and respected.
We will support the maintenance and expansion of French-English bilingual (“dual language”) programs in public schools in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Health and retirement
Guaranteeing better access to social security and pension rights
Guarantee rapid enrollment in the French social security system upon return to France . Lobby the government to implement the elimination of the three-month waiting period voted on by parliament, in order to allow immediate access to social security, and guarantee proof of entitlement within seven days, as well as immediate access to reimbursements, without waiting for the health insurance card (Carte Vitale). Assign a social security number to all our citizens living abroad.
Request the establishment of a single “Citizenship, Social Protection, and Retirement” service point at the Consulate, with monthly office hours to assist French citizens who have worked in France and abroad with their retirement applications. Train “retirement advisors” to support applicants in their dealings with the National Old-Age Insurance Fund (CNAV) and supplementary pension providers.
Implement the recommendations from the National Conference on Social Protection for French Citizens Abroad (2025) to resolve the current crisis at the French Social Security Fund for French Citizens Abroad (CFE), while fulfilling its public service mission.
Guarantee universal access to abortion and the morning-after pill.
Simplify administrative procedures. Digitize certain processes, notably by improving the system for validating life certificates via videoconference, extending communication deadlines, and creating special regional offices for the National Old-Age Insurance Fund. Maintain in-person services at the Consulate to assist French citizens with all administrative procedures that they cannot necessarily complete online.
Solidarity
Advocating for greater solidarity with the most vulnerable French citizens
Strengthen support systems for French citizens in difficulty abroad , particularly those in precarious situations, including retirees, single-parent families, students, and people with disabilities. Increase subsidies to associations assisting French citizens abroad (OLES) and strengthen the Consular Council’s oversight of the proper use of public funds allocated to OLES. Improve information for the French community about available support funds and guarantee assistance in accessing social welfare benefits in their country of residence.
Create a solidarity fund for victims of gender-based and sexual violence, including domestic violence, discrimination, or harassment.
Extend the social assistance program for vulnerable children (SMSE) to young people under 26 who are pursuing university or vocational training.
To offer support for loss of independence through the “Citizenship, Social Protection, and Retirement” one-stop shop at the Consulate, by developing tailored assistance for seniors in our consular district, strengthening existing programs, and informing our fellow citizens about local public assistance programs to which they may be entitled.
To establish, within the Consulate, a structure similar to the Departmental Center for Disabled Persons (MDPH) with a dedicated disability liaison officer trained to advise on American and French support programs. To guarantee support equivalent to that offered in France for people with disabilities.
Citizenship
Defending the rights of French citizens, including dual nationals, and their families
Reopen a civil registry office at the French Consulate General in New York to maintain a local consular service that meets the community’s needs, including by telephone, while improving civil registration procedures (in particular the apostille process and the option of sending scanned documents online rather than by mail). Relaunch a dedicated website for the French Consulate General in New York.
Guarantee the right to family reunification upon return to France and less restrictive visa criteria for spouses and their children. Ensure bilingual administrative communication and facilitate access to French language scholarships for dual French citizens.
Facilitate electronic voting to improve voter participation with a simple, reliable, and accessible system, while guaranteeing in-person voting and increasing the number of polling stations for presidential and legislative elections. Simplify procedures to guarantee access to voting for everyone (facilitating proxy voting, consular outreach). Systematically offer
and encourage
French citizens living abroad to register with the consular registry and the consular electoral roll .
Implement a universal login system to service-public.fr , for example using their NUMIC number, for French citizens living abroad.
Jobs and economic life
Promoting full employment WITH the free movement of people and ideas
Develop training and employment support programs for French citizens living abroad. Facilitate networking between French businesses and job seekers (particularly those receiving consular social assistance) and launch calls for vocational training projects, which are reviewed by the Consular Council. Promote mentoring and remote career transitions by encouraging professional support, career progression, and the validation of prior learning (VAE), including abroad.
Ensure the effective operation of the Consular Councils for Employment and Vocational Training , enhance their skills in partnership with chambers of commerce, and allocate them a budget. Guarantee the participation of the Consular Councils and at least one representative of very small and small businesses (TPE/PME) on the Economic Council. Involve the Economic Council in guiding the missions and events organized by Business France in the country.
Extend the International Corporate Volunteer Program (VIE) to vocational training . Raise the age limit to 35 to open the scheme to more young people, particularly those retraining, and to non-university profiles, including those with a two-year post-secondary diploma, vocational certificate, or vocational diploma.
Systematize the right to at least six months of unemployment benefits at the minimum wage in France in the event of an unforeseen and/or involuntary return (job loss in the host country, divorce, widowhood, war, climate or natural disaster, etc.).
Climate and environment
Let’s take action at our level against climate change, pollution, and the destruction of biodiversity and ecosystems that threaten our future and that of our children
Propose the organization of consular councils on climate and the ecological transition to foster local dialogue on climate and environmental issues.
Promote and organize Climate Fresk workshops, including within the consulate,
enabling everyone to understand the workings, scope, and complexity of the issues related to climate change in order to take ownership of them and act. Promote other existing Climate Fresk workshops related to ecological transition (biodiversity, circular economy, water, soil, forests, oceans, etc.). Encourage
registration on the Ariane platform when traveling abroad, consular registration on the register of French citizens living abroad, and the implementation of an early warning system (such as SMS) in the event of a climate or natural disaster.
Require French institutions abroad to be full participants in the ecological transition . Encourage efforts to measure and reduce carbon footprints and environmental impacts in public buildings, including the Consulate and other French institutions. Promote the integration of environmental criteria into public funding and procurement.
Support local ecological projects through the support program for French expatriate associations (STAFE) . Support initiatives by local environmental associations, particularly in the areas of circular economy, knowledge sharing, and training on environmental challenges and the ecological transition.
Culture and community life
Promoting cultural and community action that meets the needs
Review the support system for French associations abroad (STAFE) , simplify the application process for French associations abroad, and strengthen the prerogatives of the French Citizens Abroad Councilors and the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad (AFE) by granting them decision-making power over STAFE budgets. Allow the renewal of STAFE grants for the same project.
Preserve and ensure the long-term viability of cultural centers and strengthen existing structures for promoting French, such as the French Institutes, the Alliance Française, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF). Promote the inclusion of French communities through better information and improved access to cultural programming.
Facilitate access to French media and culture (newspapers, radio, and audiovisual content) for French citizens abroad. Support French bookstores and local Francophone artists, offer a free digital library to French citizens in the constituency, and extend the Culture Pass to young French citizens abroad.
Combating discrimination and violence
Fighting against antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, sexism, LGBTIphobia, and all forms of discrimination and violence
Facilitate access to a designated lawyer and psychiatrist, or to a network of French or Francophone professionals, through the Consulate to provide legal and psychological support to victims of gender-based and sexual violence, including domestic violence, by offering free consultations.
Organize a monthly drop-in session to welcome French citizens, including undocumented immigrants, who are victims of discrimination, harassment, and difficulties with the local justice system and the Federal Immigration Police (ICE), in order to better inform them of their rights, available legal recourse, and available assistance.
Encourage the development of annual awareness training on racial and gender discrimination (sexism and LGBTQIA+) for all consular staff and French Nationals Abroad Advisors, including through the promotion and organization of Sexism Fresco workshops.
Democracy
Strengthening the role of French citizens abroad representatives to better represent our fellow citizens
Adopt the charter for elected consular representatives, which notably includes training for representatives of French citizens abroad.
Revitalize the democratic life of French citizens abroad by expanding the responsibilities of consular councils to include economic affairs, cooperation, climate and the ecological transition, as well as cultural activities, and by strengthening their powers and decision-making authority.
Demand that the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad (AFE) have a deliberative role , not just an advisory one.
Organize citizens’ assemblies in our constituency to listen to the expectations and concerns of our fellow citizens, where our elected representatives will report on their actions.
Develop local relationships and cooperation with the municipalities where our fellow citizens live.
Senatorial action and foreign policy
To advocate for the rights of French citizens abroad, respect for international law, and a radical foreign policy in the Senate
Sending the first left-wing, Insoumis·es senators to the Senate , currently dominated by the right and threatened by the far right following the 2026 municipal elections. For a left-wing, ecological, and sincere senatorial representation that gives voice to a pacifist, independent, and non-aligned movement, prioritizing diplomacy, respect for international law, and strengthening the UN.
Through our future senators, we will implement a radical foreign policy in the face of the security, social, environmental, and health crises that are shaking the world and our societies. We will prioritize alliances based on safeguarding peace, international law, multilateralism, defending our interests, and fighting climate change and promoting global public goods.
Our fight for French citizens abroad
French citizens living abroad are on the front lines of international crises, even as consular services become increasingly dysfunctional. For years, they have faced a policy of budget cuts and state disengagement: insufficient staff in consulates, strain on social services and weakening of social protection, rising tuition fees in the French education system, accelerated privatization of educational and cultural institutions, reduced rights, and administrative inconsistencies.
Faced with ten years of cuts that have ravaged our diplomacy, our consulates, and the rights of French citizens abroad, the members of parliament from La France Insoumise and Génération·s (including Karim Ben Cheikh , the only left-wing MP representing French citizens abroad) have relentlessly fought for the budget over the past few months. In particular, they have defended the following proposals during the budget bill debates:
- Strengthen the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put an end to the weakening of the diplomatic and consular network.
- Create additional positions in consulates in order to reduce delays and improve the quality of service.
- Supporting French cultural institutes abroad.
- Increase funding for student grants.
- To consolidate the financing of social protection for French citizens living outside of France.
- Provide the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) with more resources in order to limit the increase in tuition fees.
In committee, they achieved massive progress:
- an additional 40 million euros and 250 positions to rebuild a diplomatic network capable of defending peace and international law;
- 16 million euros more and 100 positions to repair the consular service, for the return of a humane welcome, the end of interminable delays, and the restoration of expertise;
- An additional 13.5 million euros for school scholarships, so that education never becomes a luxury.
But the government rejected these proposals, choosing to abandon them. It used Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the 2026 budget without a vote in the National Assembly, with the complicity of the Socialist Party, which refused to vote on the motion of censure tabled by the left-wing groups.
In the government’s final budget for 2026:
The AEFE subsidy is reduced by 63 million euros compared to 2024. In concrete terms, this means job cuts, weakened schools, increased tuition fees, and reduced school grants, including in our district.
The reduction in government funding for the French Overseas Social Security Fund (CFE) is contributing to a chronic deficit (over €10 million per year) which could lead to its demise in the medium term. This would mean a decrease or even the elimination of social protection for the many French citizens living abroad who contribute to the CFE for their health insurance and/or retirement.
We refuse to leave French citizens abroad to face the explosion in the cost of living alone, particularly school and health costs.
French education and social protection are not privileges, but rights for our compatriots abroad. The candidates on our list for the consular elections defend the New Popular Front (NFP) program, which calls for genuine equality of rights for all French citizens, both in France and abroad.
By electing representatives of French citizens abroad who are faithful to the NFP program, French citizens abroad will decide their future within the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad (AFE). Our elected representatives, alongside those from other movements sharing the same vision of the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad, will lobby the government to ensure that the AFE is no longer merely advisory.
Faced with the erosion of rights, the disengagement of the state, and the privatization of public services by successive governments, we stand for equality and fraternity.
Our elected representatives will champion a genuine program of solidarity for all French citizens living abroad, who will thus be better represented.
the united list of the left-wing environmentalists for the 2026 consular elections
The role of the French Citizens Abroad Advisors
French citizens living abroad are elected local representatives of the French community abroad. Elected for a six-year term by direct universal suffrage by the French citizens in their consular district, they sit on consular councils. Their main role is to relay your concerns to embassies and consulates and to provide advisory opinions on issues essential to the needs and daily lives of French citizens living outside France: school grants, social services, culture, employment, vocational training, subsidies for associations, administrative support, and the safety and protection of individuals. In the event of a major health or security crisis, they become a valuable link between the consular administration and the local community.
At the national level, they elect the members of the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad (AFE) and are part of the senatorial electoral college responsible for electing senators representing French citizens living abroad. With the rise of the far right in France, it is vital to send elected representatives from the sincere ecological left to the Senate.auche écologiste sincère au Sénat.