France passes ‘right to err’ legislation

PARIS: French lawmakers have voted for a flagship article in a new law which will give citizens the “right to make mistakes” in dealings with the government without being automatically punished.

The article, which was adopted by a show of hands on Tuesday in the National Assembly, is the “cornerstone” of a law for “a state in the service of a trustworthy society”, according to the government.

The law is part of reforms President Emmanuel Macron touted during his electoral campaign to allow citizens to make a mistake in good faith in their dealings with the authorities without risking punishment from the first infringement.

It will be up to the administration to prove that the person was acting in bad faith.

“It is a revolution in the relations between the administration and the administered,”minister of public action and accounts Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter.

To err is human but the divine forgiveness of the government will be “limited to the first mistake”, according to a change made to the article at the insistence of dissenters.

The minister said the government had listened to “the French who like their public services but not their administration”, citing a letter of grievances written to him by one “Alexandre”. – AFP