Covid, presidential, Europe: what to remember from Emmanuel Macron's wishes
French President Emmanuel Macron during his televised greetings for 2022, at the Elysee Palace, December 31, 2021. AFP - MARTIN BUREAU
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The French president presented this Friday evening, December 31, the last wishes of his mandate.
Emmanuel Macron spoke at length about his record, Europe, the French presidency of the Union begins this Saturday, January 1, but he also mentioned the presidential ballot and the legislative elections, posing as a guarantor of their good organization and always leaving to cast doubt on his intentions.
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"2022 may be the year of the end of the epidemic"
Standing, with the Elysee garden in the background, Emmanuel Macron once again called for vaccination against this “
so contagious
”
Omicron variant
. “
I appeal to the 5 million unvaccinated people: make this simple gesture for yourself, for your compatriots, for our country. All of France is counting on you.
"
The French president warned that "
the coming weeks will be difficult
" but that there were "
real reasons to hope
" thanks to the vaccine and that "
2022 could be the year of exit from the epidemic
".
Thanks to the vaccine, "
we will be able to overcome this wave,
" he added, promising to "
do everything to preserve the activity of the country
" and "
avoid taking restrictions that weigh on our freedom
".
"
I am resolutely optimistic, not just for 2022 but for the years to come
", "
we can see the outcome of this endless day
" of the pandemic, he stressed.
Listen to our special edition on Emmanuel Macron's wishes for 2022
Presidential: no candidacy announcement yet but an electoral campaign tone
The French president has still not announced his candidacy for the presidential election next April.
But part of the wishes were devoted to enhancing its record, in an electoral campaign tone.
“
Despite the hardships, France is stronger today than two years ago,
” insisted Emmanuel Macron, recalling several of the reforms he initiated and which make him “
optimistic
” for 2022.
“
Never for 15 years has unemployment been so low,
” he said. With the pandemic, "
where we could have postponed everything, we have never given up our collective ambition
," added the Head of State. "
Just in recent weeks and in the coming months, decisions that we have been talking about for decades have been and will be taken that will change lives,
" he said.
Emmanuel Macron cited among others the "
training of our youth
", the "
reform of unemployment insurance
", the "
purchasing power
" measures
, "
the increase in the salaries of the most modest civil servants
", "
the renovation thermal
”or the“
minimum pension of 1,000 euros
”.
"I will
act until the last day of the mandate for which you elected me
", finally declared the president of the April presidential election.
"
For my part, whatever my place and the circumstances, I will continue to serve you
" and "
no one will be able to uproot my heart
".
Emmanuel Macron: "The presidential election despite the pandemic"
Aurélien Devernoix
French Presidency of the EU: "total commitment
"
Emmanuel Macron has promised his "
total commitment
" as France takes the rotating presidency of the European Union this Saturday, January 1, saying that 2022 should be "
a European turning point
".
"
For the control of our borders, our defense, the climate transition, equality between women and men, the construction of a new alliance with the African continent, the best supervision of the major Internet platforms and culture in Europe
”, he detailed, while several emblematic French monuments such as the Elysée Palace and the Eiffel Tower were adorned with European colors in the evening.
Emmanuel Macron affirmed that "
2022 must be the year of a European turning point
" and that the European Union had proved its value in its management of the pandemic.
At striking midnight, France takes over from Slovenia, which has chaired the Council of the EU since July 1, and will cede its turn in the second half to the Czech Republic, for a presidency that will necessarily be marked by the prospect of French presidential election in April.
Emmanuel Macron: "May the French presidency of the EU be a time of progress"
Aurélien Devernoix
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Emmanuel Macron
Presidential France 2022
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