French presidential election 2022: Emmanuel Macron presents his program
French President Emmanuel Macron during a press conference on his campaign program, March 17, 2022 in Aubervilliers.
© Thibault Camus/AP
Text by: RFI Follow
5 mins
French President and candidate for his own succession, Emmanuel Macron presented this Thursday, March 17, 2022 his program for the election of next month.
In particular, he proposes a retirement age rising to 65, unemployment insurance reforms and reinvesting in the army.
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Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that he plans to gradually raise the legal retirement age to 65 if he is re-elected as President of the Republic.
During the presentation of his program, he declared that this reform would take into account long careers, disability issues and “
the reality of trades and tasks
”.
“
The reform that I am proposing is different from that of 2017. Because the macroeconomic conditions are not the same, because the country continues to transform
”, underlined Emmanuel Macron, whose points-based retirement project had aroused a lively resistance, before being abandoned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
►See also: Why are pensions coming back in the presidential election?
Reform unemployment insurance, the RSA and the right to asylum
Emmanuel Macron has more broadly promised to continue labor market reforms with the "
achievable
" goal of achieving full employment.
“
We will pursue labor market reforms by continuing to simplify and deconcentrate social dialogue, to continue to give visibility to employers and employees
alike,” he said.
“
We will continue the unemployment insurance reforms to adapt it to the situation with a simple system.
Each time the situation improves, we must have rules that encourage even more people to return to work.
»
In this context, the president-candidate proposes to condition the active solidarity income (RSA) to the exercise of an activity for 15 to 20 hours per week.
"
Yes, we need monetary support, but we need more than that
[...]
recognize the dignity of everyone and ask for a share of the effort for all those who can
."
He also undertook to have social aid paid "
at source
", automatically, which according to him would benefit the "
20 million French
people" who receive the RSA, the activity bonus, housing aid or family allowances.
The president-candidate then declared that he wanted to implement a more restrictive asylum policy if he were re-elected.
He declared in particular that any asylum seeker would be obliged to leave the territory if his request was rejected by France.
►Also read: Presidential 2022: resilience, the French economy and candidate Emmanuel Macron
Invest more in the military
Faced with the war in Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron pleaded for a "
refoundation of the pact
" between "
the army and the nation
", to learn the lesson of the Ukrainian crisis, with the doubling of the number of reservists.
Emmanuel Macron also wanted to
"intensify
" investments "
to be able to face a high-intensity war, which can return to our continent
".
For this, he assured that in the event of re-election, he would ask the Chief of the Defense Staff for a reassessment “
of all the needs
” necessary, in the light of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
We must “
think about how we manage to strengthen, restore vitality to this pact
” which is “
so essential
”, he declared.
He notably mentioned "
the generalization of universal national service
" as well as "
the increase in reservists who will be doubled
".
He wished "
to be able to put in place a civil mobilization plan to strengthen our resilience
", which according to him "
will go through a strengthening of the nation's strategic stocks, through a census of the skills of French volunteers to be mobilized in the event of a crisis. serious, but also of the capacities of key companies
".
Education and health, two “major projects”
Regarding school and health, Emmanuel Macron considers that they would be "
two major projects
" of his second five-year term, if he were re-elected, promising a "
new method
" based on "
broad consultation
".
"
On school and health, it is clear
" that the policy implemented since 2017 "
has been enough
", he acknowledged.
We must therefore "
manage to mobilize energies differently
" to "
give back to those who do it on a daily basis the possibility of adapting the solutions to the realities on the ground and in some way getting out of the war of positions in which we are
", he added.
As part of “
a new pact for teachers
”, “
it will be necessary to significantly continue the increase in remuneration
”, which will be linked to “
the definition of new missions
”, according to Emmanuel Macron.
Measures will be taken to guarantee the “
replacement of absent teachers because we owe our pupils and their parents the full teaching hours
”.
In the field of health, "
we must succeed in going much further, faster and stronger
", in particular by strengthening "
the prevention policy
", "
the simplification of the hospital and its governance
" and the improvement of "
access to emergency care
".
The Minister of Health Olivier Véran announced Thursday the organization of "
a major conference
" on the health system if Emmanuel Macron was re-elected in April.
►Also listen: Health priority - French Presidential election: those excluded from health
The cost of the program estimated at 50 billion euros per year
Emmanuel Macron has estimated the cost of his presidential program at 50 billion euros per year, to which will be added 15 billion per year in tax cuts, half benefiting households, half businesses.
These expenses, in particular for education, health and autonomy, will be financed in particular by savings, by the pension reform, with the postponement of the retirement age, and on unemployment benefits, a-t -he thinks.
►Also read: Guest France - Presidential 2022: "A record abstention would hardly be a surprise"
(with agencies)
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France
Presidential France 2022
Emmanuel Macron
French politics