China News Agency, Paris, July 14 (Reporter Li Yang) French President Emmanuel Macron said on the 14th local time that France needs to prepare for possible energy shortages; the official will formulate a response plan for this.
Macron made the above remarks in a live televised interview that day.
In an hour-long interview, Macron outlined the challenges facing his second presidency and the steps he will take to respond.
Macron focused on energy issues in the interview.
He pointed out that since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict shows no signs of ending, Russia is using energy as its weapon to cut energy supplies to Europe.
So France needs to mobilize to prepare for an energy shortage that could start this autumn.
Macron said France was already working to diversify its energy supply sources and to build up "nearly 100 percent natural gas reserves" in the fall.
He revealed that France is increasing gas supplies from Norway, Qatar, Algeria and other countries and will eventually no longer need to use Russian gas.
Macron said that the future will undoubtedly be very difficult, and the French official will formulate a response plan and call on all sectors of society to save energy and reduce energy waste.
Energy use in France has decreased compared to a year ago, he said.
He believes that using less energy is a good thing from the standpoint of fighting climate change and achieving energy independence.
He also said that France will invest more in the field of nuclear energy.
When it comes to dealing with inflation, Macron said that the country cannot bear the consequences of inflation for everyone, and the government will formulate corresponding measures for those who need assistance most.
He revealed that the relevant aid will be tightened; the relevant aid measures in terms of energy prices will also be re-evaluated at the end of this year.
When talking about reforms to the retirement system, Macron reiterated that the reforms will continue during his second term as president, expected to start next summer.
He said there was a need to improve the quality of the work, but he gave no further details on what the reforms would entail.
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