France’s Far Right Pushes Plan To Reopen Brothels. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally is preparing a bill to reopen brothels in France, proposing that they operate as cooperatives run directly by sex workers. Party lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy said prostitutes would be “empresses in their kingdom,” describing the plan as a way to give them full control. Tanguy confirmed he had already drafted the bill, which Le Pen herself supports, according to recent interviews with French media. Brothels have been banned in France since 1946, though prostitution remains legal and clients have faced €1,500 fines since a 2016 Socialist-backed law. The proposal reignited national debate over whether France should reconsider its prostitution laws and create a regulated system. The issue echoes discussions elsewhere in Europe: in Italy, voices inside Giorgia Meloni’s coalition have also pushed for regulated brothels. Despite such calls, no similar measures have been implemented in Italy, leaving France’s potential reform particularly significant. Tanguy’s proposal was first detailed by French newspaper Le Monde, pushing the controversy into the national spotlight.