French Student Meal Initiative Gains Support Amid Calls for Broader Social Reforms

Léonore Maunoury, president of the student solidarity association Cop1, has voiced strong support for the French government’s recent decision to extend 1 euro meals to all students. In a column published by Le Monde on February 2, 2026, she praised the initiative as a positive step toward alleviating student hardship. However, Maunoury also criticized the government’s plan to remove the Aide Personnalisée au Logement (APL) housing assistance for non-scholarship foreign students, arguing that this policy would severely impact vulnerable student populations.

Maunoury emphasized the need for more comprehensive social policies, calling for the Revenu de Solidarité Active (RSA), a social welfare benefit, to be accessible to all young people starting at the age of 18, regardless of their student status. She warned that as long as public policies remain partial, precarity will continue to dominate the lives of thousands of young people.

While the student meal initiative has been welcomed by student organizations, critiques like Maunoury’s highlight ongoing concerns about the broader social support framework for youth and students in France. The debate underscores tensions between targeted measures and the need for systemic reforms to address the root causes of student poverty and instability.