'Civic contract' for 18-year-olds

EVERY French teenager should sign a contract on their 18th birthday reminding them of their civic rights and responsibilities, Immigration Minister Eric Besson has suggested.

Speaking at a debate on national identity in Marseille, Mr Besson said he had put forward the idea of a charte des droits et devoirs to President Nicolas Sarkozy.

He said the "civic contract" between young voters and the French state was symbolic and would make them feel more attached to their country.

"Every young French person could be asked to sign a charter, something that ties them to the French Republic, at the moment that they become an adult and receive their voting card," he said.

Front National vice-president Marine Le Pen described the idea as "derisory".
She told France Info: "It is humiliating because, once again, it encourages people to think that it is the French who are responsible for the complete failure of integration policy.

"I don't dare imagine what some young people will do with this contract. At best they'll turn them into paper planes."
Mr Besson's appearance in Marseille was part of a nationwide series of events organised by the government to discuss the issue of national identity and what it means to be French.

The debate began in November, but left-wing politicians say it is being used to focus on the issue of immigration and Islam in France.

They say it has degenerated into a debate about race and religion.