After the traditional parade marked this year by the war in Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron participated in an interview broadcast on TF1 and France 2. It was the first television interview of his second five-year term. The opportunity for the French President to “to set the course, the outline of the policies that must be conducted“, in a complex domestic political context after the setback of his coalition in the June legislative elections which deprived him of an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
Military budget and sobriety plan
Concerning the army budget, the Head of State has already announced that he “will not decrease, on the contrary”. “We don’t have all the answers, we didn’t start this war in Ukraine and we are not part of it”he added. “We all have to prepare for it to last. Summer, the beginning of autumn will undoubtedly be very hard”because of Russia’s determination to take Donbass.
Indeed, according to him, “this war will last”. However, the change in recent days that is likely to impact France hard is “the Russian decision to start cutting the gas”, added the President of the Republic. He therefore explained that France is in the process of diversifying its supply, of replenishing stocks and that it is necessary “enter into a logic of sobriety. “I will ask our public administrations, our large groups to prepare a plan to consume less this summer”he announced. “This requires exemplarity and responsibility.”The president therefore called on the large groups, the State, the administrations but also the citizens “to consume less“believing that the first efforts can be seen since“we consume less than last year”.
Climate emergency and consequences
“It’s an emergency and it’s already there”assured Emmanuel Macron, calling on administrations to reduce waste, especially on public lighting.
“The taxpayer is paying instead of the consumer at the moment. There is a time when these choices will be re-examined. This development will take place at the end of the year. (…) On electricity, we are going to reform the European electricity market. We are going to negotiate a change in the price of electricity”, saidexplained Emmanuel Macron. He thus wishes “move towards mechanisms that will target more people who need it most. On the essence, for people who need their car, we will ensure that they are better supported”.
“The urgency must lead us to go much faster on the climate”said Emmanuel Macron. “I asked that the tax on oil go completely to finance the acceleration of this transition”he says.
Full employment as a solution?
“We need a mobilization of the Nation. The heart of the battle that I want to lead in the coming years is full employment”, explained the president. Still speaking of the importance of work, Emmanuel Macron added that“there is no social model if there is no work to finance it”. In this logic, the president expressed the need to move forward on the reform of unemployment insurance. It therefore requires a greater commitment on the part of RSA beneficiaries.
For the Head of State, all this mobilization will also go through major advances in training: “There will be a series of reforms in this five-year term: the reform of the vocational high school, strengthening learning (passing the million mark) and continuing education”, he listed. This plan “will come into effect this summer“.
In this same idea of full employment, Emmanuel Macron wishes “work with all professional branches where the minimum wage is below the minimum wage”.
Regarding retirement, the President of the Republic believes that we must “work more and longer”. He declares, concerning his desire for pension reform, that “from the summer of 23, it will require an entry into force”. He calls, however, forresponsible compromisesconcerning this reform.
Back to Uber queues
Faced with questions from the journalist concerning his deal with Uber, Emmanuel Macron assured that “we have opened the market”. He therefore believes that this deal has made it possible to open “thousands of jobs” and that France then brought the regulation of these taxi platforms to the European level.
“Have hope, this desire for ambition and respect for everyone. We will get there!”concluded Emmanuel Macron.