Emmanuel Macron spoke during a thirteen-minute speech on Monday evening to try to close the “sequence” of the pension reform. An intervention during which the President of the Republic did not make any big announcements – it was expected – but nevertheless declined a copious program by July 14, erected as a stage point.
On pensions: no my culpabut an observation
The pension reform was “necessary”, pleaded Emmanuel Macron, saying “regret” that it was not “accepted” and that a “consensus” could “not be found”. The Head of State assured that he heard the “anger” of the French, believing that “no one can remain deaf to this demand for social justice and the renovation of our democratic life”.
However, he of course did not withdraw the reform. He thus again called for a meeting of the social partners tomorrow Tuesday at the Elysée: “the door will always be open”, he affirmed while the inter-union has already declined the invitation. This did not prevent him from calling for social dialogue at the national level as well as closer to the field between social partners.
To relaunch, three projects
Those who hoped for a pose will be at their expense: for Emmanuel Macron, the response to the crisis affecting the country “cannot be either in immobility or in extremism”. For this, the president announced three projects: one on work, one on republican order and one on progress. On work, the president confided his desire to build a “new pact for life at work” in the coming weeks. It will be a question of talking about income, careers, working conditions or sharing of wealth.
On the Republican order, Emmanuel Macron spoke about the fight against social and tax fraud. He also announced the creation of 200 new gendarmerie brigades. “The rule of law is our foundation and there is no freedom without rights or without sanctions against those who transgress the rights of others,” said the Head of State. Moreover, and this is rather a surprise, the theme of immigration has returned to the speech, although it had been put on hold after 49.3 on pensions. Perhaps a return of Gérald Darmanin’s bill?
“We must fight against the feeling that voting is not deciding,” said Emmanuel Macron for his latest project on “progress”. The president asked the presidents of the parliamentary chambers for ways to make institutions more efficient. On the health front, he set the goal of decongesting emergency services by the end of next year.
July 14 as a horizon
“We have before us a hundred days of appeasement, unity, ambition and action in the service of France”, proclaimed Emmanuel Macron, giving an appointment “on July 14th” to “take an initial assessment “. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is responsible for detailing the roadmap “from next week”. We understand by this that the head of government sees her lease extended to Matignon until at least this summer.
To illustrate his point, Emmanuel Macron gave the example of the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris. Four years ago, he had given the goal of a reconstruction in five years, he recalled that he had been mocked at the time. “Well we will! “, he reaffirmed, thanks to the commitment of the workers on the site. “It’s our duty and I trust you, I trust us to make it happen,” he concluded.