This is an announcement that should bring a smile to many students at the end of the month. On Friday night, Sébastien Lecornu confirmed that the 1 euro meal in university cafeterias will be available to all students, without any income conditions, starting in May 2026. This initiative is already known, as it was introduced during the Covid-19 crisis, before being limited to only scholarship and low-income students starting in 2021.
This expansion is not new to the public debate. In January 2025, the National Assembly adopted a bill proposed by socialist deputy Fatiha Keloua-Hachi. Since then, the text had been on hold. With this announcement, the government is pulling the file out of the drawer and making it a strong marker of its 2026 budget, presented as giving "priority to youth".
It seems like there's a little mix-up, as I can't see any text to translate. Could you please provide the content you'd like me to work on?Le repas à un euro pour tous les étudiants "efface les différences de traitement injustifiées entre les étudiants", assure @KelouaF. "Cela constitue une première étape vers le soutien universel à l'émancipation des jeunes, décorrélée des revenus de leurs parents."#DirectAN pic.twitter.com/H2TygBEUO0
— LCP (@LCP) January 23, 2025
The return of the 1 euro meal… for everyone this time
Behind this very popular measure, there is also a deliberate political compromise. The 1 euro meal was a central demand of the socialists during the budget negotiations. Its cost is estimated at around 90 million euros per year, but the Prime Minister has not clarified how it will be funded.
This lack of details is particularly concerning for the Crous. Already under pressure in many university cities, they fear a loss of resources estimated at more than 50 million euros, as well as increased overcrowding in university restaurants. In some university metropolises, the attendance rate at university restaurants already exceeds 120% during peak hours, due to insufficient staff and capacity.
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A political concession... and financing still unclear
The Minister of Higher Education, Philippe Baptiste, expressed quite a bit of caution, fearing that the most vulnerable students might be the first to face penalties. This concern is shared by some parliamentary groups, particularly the Insoumis, who support the idea of a €1 meal but criticize its implementation.
They raise alarms about the lack of human resources: Crous staffing has only increased by about 5% since 2019, while the number of students has grown by nearly 15% over the same period. Without additional hiring, the broadening of this program could, in their view, lead to longer waiting lines and even more complicated access for those who need it most.
APL, scholarships, disability: other announcements for the youth
The one-euro meal isn't the only card played by the Prime Minister. Sébastien Lecornu has also promised that no reform will affect student APL in 2026, including for non-EU students, a point welcomed by student organizations. Scholarships, on the other hand, would be “maintained”, even though the lack of indexing to inflation raises some concerns for some beneficiaries.
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On the education front, the head of the government announced the creation of 2,000 additional positions, some of which are aimed at supporting students with disabilities. This announcement is still a bit vague, especially since the needs are skyrocketing and, during the last return to school, nearly one in ten students did not have an AESH.
Universities, research, higher education: all sectors promised additional resources, although the details are not yet completely clear. One thing is certain, though: the 1 euro meal for everyone checks the box for a strong symbol, just a few days before the tense budget vote. Now we just need to see how this measure will be funded and whether the university cafeterias, already overcrowded in many cities, can handle the influx without compromising the support for the most vulnerable students.