Debate in France: Should the Government Freeze Public Debt?
Listen to the story
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a French politician. He wants to change how the euro works. He has an idea to freeze France's public debt. This means stopping the debt from growing for a time.
A writer at a French magazine does not agree with him. The writer says Mélenchon's idea is not really new. The writer says he is just talking about old ideas in a new way.
This debate is about French money and the future. People are asking: can a country cancel its debt? A French TV show also talked about this question.
Some people think Mélenchon's plan could help France. Other people think it is not a good or new plan. The discussion continues before the next French presidential election.
Vocabulary15 words
- debt
- money that a person or country must pay back
- presidential election
- when people vote to choose a new president
- euro
- the money used in France and many other European countries
- freeze
- to stop something from changing for some time
- politician
- a person who works in government
- opinion article
- a text where a writer shares personal ideas
- cancel
- to say something does not need to happen anymore
- public debt
- money that a government owes
- criticise
- to say what is wrong with something
- plan
- an idea about what to do
- magazine
- a paper or website with news and articles
- government
- the group of people who run a country
- France
- a country in Europe
- idea
- a thought about how to do something
- money
- what people use to buy things
Quiz
Answer key
1. Freeze France's public debt 2. It is not really new 3. True