Douai (AFP)

Hiding the poor results of the majority in the regions, Emmanuel Macron is preparing the turn of the post-crisis period, by focusing from Monday on the recovery and attractiveness, during a trip to the scent of the presidential campaign in Douai ( North) where he found himself facing his rival for 2022, Xavier Bertrand.

It is a president maneuvering on the economic front who announced at Renault Douai the establishment of a Sino-Japanese battery mega-factory, with two billion euros of investments and 1,000 jobs at the key. by 2024.

On arriving, he was greeted by the re-elected president of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand, who poses as the "third man" of 2022. Their reunion poorly masked their rivalry.

“Bravo! Congratulations, the Head of State told him in a sonorous voice on his arrival. I am happy to be with you. It's a step, but we all know what is behind it. "

If Emmanuel Macron wanted to talk about the factory, Xavier Bertrand, he wanted to talk about politics: "it is important that we have succeeded in pushing back the RN as much", cut the president of Hauts-de-France, also emphasizing record abstention.

"It proves that when we invest, we get there," resumed the president, returning to the industrial field, while acknowledging in passing that it was necessary "all to draw the consequences" of abstention.

But it is with campaign accents that he exclaimed in front of the workers: "When we create industrial jobs, we reduce anger, misery and all demagoguery", "it is the work of this United France, it's you! ".

And that he defended his economic choices, from the fall in the wealth tax to that of taxes on finance and companies as well as the relaxation of labor law, according to him at the origin of the return of foreign investors.

"What did I hear" with these reforms, "I was given all the qualifiers when I did that! But we have results, we are recreating industrial jobs", hammered the chief of State.

Xavier Bertrand, who had the satisfaction of concluding this exchange with the workers, did not hesitate to steal the first announcement of the factory from Mr. Macron on Friday.

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Monday evening, Emmanuel Macron will dig his furrow by receiving 150 bosses in Versailles for "Choose France", will inaugurate Tuesday the Parisian premises of JP Morgan then will end Friday with the exhibition of products "Made in France" at the Elysée.

Ruling out the idea of ​​a big reshuffle, Mr. Macron must also specify his project for the start of the school year.

"The country being at a turning point, the President of the Republic will speak (...) during the month of July (...) on the course which will bring us in the next 10 months to the presidential election, "government spokesman Gabriel Attal told FranceInfo.

- The question of pensions -

Among the subjects left open by the health crisis, the pension reform, which divides the entourage of the Head of State both on its form and on the schedule.

"You have to do it, but you also have to choose the right moment", summed up Jean Castex to Le Figaro, while affirming that "it will not be the same" as that initiated by his predecessor Edouard Philippe.

While the social accounts have been considerably burdened by the Covid-19, part of the majority pleads for an increase in the retirement age, a measure which could be taken as soon as the next budget is voted in the fall.

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"There, there is a good atmosphere, the clubs want to invest, people to work, to go on vacation, to relive. We must let this dynamic flourish, we cannot do that now", retorts a relative. Of the president.

In a restricted parliamentary calendar, including texts still in shuttle such as the Climate Law, Mr. Macron has little room for a bill of magnitude.

Progress on the care of dependency, signals in the direction of youth such as the extension of the "youth guarantee" are expected, while the executive is also seeking to occupy the security ground.

At the same time, Mr. Macron also hopes to work for the consolidation, even the enlargement of his majority.

"The problem is that the results of the regional", which have perked up right and left, "weaken our attractiveness," said a close friend of the president.

Before adding, worried: "And the hypothesis that Macron is only a parenthesis in history returns to the game".

© 2021 AFP