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Mathilde Panot Urges Requisition of Vacant Buildings During France’s Cold Wave

She cites government data showing millions of empty homes, invoking a 1946 requisition law last used in 1999.

Overview

  • The La France Insoumise parliamentary leader issued a public appeal on January 6 to shelter people sleeping rough by opening public buildings and enforcing the 1946 requisition law.
  • France is experiencing subzero temperatures this week, with several homeless people reported dead in recent days due to the cold.
  • The government’s Lovac database lists about 2.38 million vacant dwellings nationwide, including 1.35 million empty for more than two years.
  • The Fondation pour le Logement estimates roughly 350,000 people lack a fixed home in France, with about 20,000 living on the street.
  • Panot cited a 1999 precedent of roughly 1,000 temporary requisitions of insurance and financial company buildings with owner compensation, while no new government action has been announced.