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The head of state delivered to the press his answers to the big debate Thursday, April 25, to try to extinguish the crisis of "yellow vests" and restart its five-year one-month European elections. Emmanuel Macron outlined the orientations of the second act of his five-year term
The president was on time at 6 pm, Paris time, in front of some 300 journalists at the Élysée Palace , for a speech that lasted two and a half hours, far more than expected.
At first, Emmanuel Macron showed his desire to regain the hearts of the French, wanting to " rebuild a human project, " he said. According to him, " the crisis of the yellow vests transformed me ", sentence accompanied by a mea culpa: " I gave the feeling " to be " hard ", " sometimes unfair and I regret it ".
The president then detailed his measures, with the slogan of " humanity ", to counter the " arrogance " that many reproached him during the crisis of "yellow vests" .
Emmanuel Macron particularly wanted the abolition of the National School of Administration (ENA) , symbol of French elitism, which he himself came from. And this may be the only gift for "yellow vests".
Emmanuel Macron did not give many pledges to the movement of "yellow vests". The reassessment of retirement pensions is only a correction: he himself devalued them and he himself will re-index them to inflation. On less busy school classes, on the medical deserts that will be populated, on the single women's food that will be guaranteed, it sells a lot of dreams and marks a social course.
On the other hand, for the "yellow vests", no social initiative referendum, but an easier referendum and no return on the wealth tax reform (ISF). The only measure remains symbolic: the removal of the ENA.
►Also read: Back to Emmanuel Macron's press conference
Emmanuel Macron begins by pointing out ways to lower the income tax. He wants it to be 5 billion euros. To finance it, you will have to work more, not by raising the legal retirement age, not by abolishing the 35 hours, but by extending the contribution period.
To reform democracy, Emmanuel Macron wants to simplify the referendum of shared initiative that already exists. He wants to give a right to challenge local elected officials, but the president refuses to make the vote mandatory and allow the white vote.
Ecology was the great absent of his first copy. Emmanuel Macron has corrected it a little, he wants to share the citizens in particular future decisions.
For two and a half hours, the head of state spoke calmly, with a smile, sometimes with a paternalistic tone, probably wanting to break with his image of a crushing president, or a cleaving president. I will not become the one who seeks to please, warns Emmanuel Macron, who was sitting, often leaning on a white desk. He assures that the great debate has changed him, that he has touched more clearly the thickness of lives. He promises he will have no respite. Will he represent himself in 2022? " This is not my subject at all ," says Emmanuel Macron.
►Also read: Reactions to Emmanuel's announcements
Economic measures
The head of state first addressed the middle classes by promising a " significant " decline in income tax. Nearly 5 billion euros, he said. And to finance this measure: the elimination of certain tax loopholes, businesses only, the fall in public spending, and especially the need to work more. On this last point, the President of the Republic said he did not want to go back on the 35 hours. He also rejected the possibility of deleting a holiday and even going back to the legal retirement age of 62 today.
Reindexing pensions on inflation, "minimum pension" of 1,000 euros for a full career, maintaining the legal age of departure to 62 years: Emmanuel Macron chained the promises Thursday, but also opened the door to "a system haircut "to finance them, via an extension of the contribution period.
Another measure in favor of purchasing power: the sustainability of the premium paid by companies to their employees ... and for pensioners, the reindexing of pensions of less than 2,000 euros to inflation in 2020, then all retreats in 2021.
Finally, if the objective of reducing public spending remains the same Emmanuel Macron is ready to give up that of removing 120 000 civil service positions if it is not tenable on the quinquennium.