Faced with the various crises affecting France, the Head of State intends to send a message of hope and optimism this Saturday evening at 8 p.m.
It is a traditional year-end exercise. The President of the Republic will pronounce his wishes this evening at 8 p.m. These are the sixth end-of-year wishes for Emmanuel Macron, which he wants to place under the sign of the optimist. According to the entourage of the head of state, the latter would be keen to reassure the French with a message of “unity and confidence”.
France is doing well in the face of crises
In fairly classic wishes of ten minutes, Emmanuel Macron should recognize that times are tough, that there have certainly been crises in 2022 but that the efforts have paid off.
Inflation lower than our European neighbours, growth maintained, unemployment down… The president should in particular thank the French for the energy savings made and tell them that France is not doing so badly, given the international situation.
The president should also talk about what will change in 2023, such as pensions or immigration, but without going into too much detail. He will also have a word for the public hospital, during these third vows marked by the Covid-19 epidemic.
Pension reform as the next battle
The Head of State spent a few days between Christmas and the New Year at Fort Brégançon, the presidential residence on the Côte d’Azur, to, assures his entourage, “preparing for the start of the school year”. And he knows that this return to school promises to be perilous, both socially and politically.
On January 10, his government must unveil the pension reform project, the flagship of his program during his re-election in the spring. Will he confirm the postponement of the retirement age to 65, or will he opt for a compromise solution, with for example a decline to 64 years coupled with an acceleration of the extension of the contribution period? ?
Whatever formula is chosen, it should displease the unions, who are determined to fight in the streets against any age measure – without it being possible, at this stage, to predict whether this mobilization will be combined with other anger to turn into a social explosion.
After outbreaks of fever around fuel in the fall, then at the SNCF and among general practitioners during the holidays, the executive is watching for the spark that could stir up a major social movement.
