Background information

The public body responsible for collecting employers' and self-employed workers' social security contributions (URSSAF) has introduced emergency measures to help employers and self-employed workers who were victims of the major forest fires that took place in France in the summer of 2022, particularly in the South-west and Brittany, resulting in the destruction of vast areas of forest and operating difficulties for businesses located in these regions. This is a temporary initiative, but one that will be repeated as often as necessary, should massive fires damage the economy of certain départements. Employers and the self-employed in particular have asked for their social security contributions to be deferred.

Content of measure

In conjunction with the fire crisis units , Urssaf has introduced emergency measures to preserve the cash flow of employers and self-employed workers whose business has been affected by the fires:

Deferred payment of contributions

Employers experiencing cash flow difficulties can ask Urssaf to defer the payment of social security contributions due on their employees' pay. Similarly, self-employed workers can obtain deferred payment of their personal social security contributions. In this case, the penalties and increases for late payment will be automatically waived.

Financial assistance for the self-employed

Self-employed victims of material damage caused by forest fires (damage to their business premises, production tools and/or their main home) can apply for emergency assistance from the Disaster and Storms Fund set up by the Social Protection Council for the Self-Employed (CPSTI). In addition, self-employed workers who experience a slowdown in their activity as a result of the fires can also apply for assistance for contributors in difficulty (ACED), which allows their personal social security contributions to be paid in full or in part.

Use of measure

No data available.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Self-employed	Applies to all businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Social insurance	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

No involvement.

Views and reactions

No data, but as the measures are aimed to support businesses and self-employed to stay afloat, such measures are in general welcomed at least by employers' organisations.

Sources

• 22 August 2022: URSSAF, L'Urssaf vient en aide aux employeurs et indépendants touchés par les incendies (www.urssaf.org)