Emmanuel Macron is taking a casual approach to the presidential campaign. He can afford it, the polls put him well in the lead, 12 percentage points clear of his rivals. It is very likely that he will reach the runoff on April 24th. It was not until March 3rd that the incumbent announced his candidacy, after which he allowed two weeks to elapse in which he made only vague and rather summary suggestions as to how he would govern France in his second “Quinquennate” at the head of the country.
Macron finally got specific on Thursday. In Aubervilliers, just outside the capital, he presented his programme. In a deliberately sober press conference, without music, without pomp. His short sketch of the “new epoch” in which the world is now living was all the more insistent. The “tragic” has returned to politics, and not just because of the Ukraine war. We are in the midst of major upheavals, in terms of climate, demographics, technology, and above all in democracy. But the answer to all this should not lie in a kind of “nostalgia,” a return to the good old days, as some competitors on the political fringes have in mind. It is necessary to meet the challenges full of trust in progress, both technically and socially.
As during his entire term in office, Macron placed the will to achieve a “more independent France in a stronger Europe” in the foreground. That applies at all levels: the companies must become more competitive, among other things, 30 billion euros should flow into future technologies. Agriculture must produce more products in its own country. In terms of energy policy, new nuclear power plants and an expansion of renewables should strengthen independence. France could be the first major country to get by without fossil fuels. Macron indicated that some key areas of the energy industry need to come into government hands. Pricing must change, especially for electricity. And the army should become more flexible in order to be able to wage one of those “high-intensity wars” that threatened Europe. By 2025, the defense budget is to increase from the current level of just under 41 to 50 billion euros.
Macron also wants to upgrade on a cultural level. It is important to protect the freedom of information; one can currently see how central this will be in the future. A “European metaverse” must be established, said the President, based on Facebook’s new name, in order to no longer be dependent on large American and Chinese corporations. In addition, the Frenchman plans more money for the universities and a comprehensive education reform.
As far as wages and employment are concerned, he delivered in the first term, Macron said. Taxes have fallen and employment has risen. But it is also clear: “We have to work longer.” The retirement age is to be raised from the current 62 to 65 years – one of the construction sites that he had to leave behind until now. In addition, Macron wants to reorganize job placement and achieve full employment. Unemployment benefits should be redesigned to increase incentives to return to work.
Just in time for the President, the news came on Thursday that the purchasing power of the French has increased overall during the first five years of Macron. According to a study by the economic research institute OFCE, middle-income earners are the clear winners who have benefited from tax breaks and transfer payments. However, it has not been possible to reduce the gap between the poorest and the richest in the country.
And then there is another issue that Macron is well advised to tackle: the lack of closeness to the people, the “Jupiter” image of the aloof president. Here Macron wants to fall back on the format of the citizen dialogues, which he introduced after the protests of the Gilets Jaunes. That “grand débat” should be a permanent event.