A "necessary" reform

Despite the protest, President Emmanuel Macron said the reform was "necessary". "There are not 36 solutions" apart from raising the legal retirement age to 64. The head of state hoped that the flagship project of his second five-year term would enter "into force by the end of the year" so that 1.8 million pensioners "begin to be increased by about 600 euros per year on average".

Unpopularity

"I'm not looking for re-election (...) but, between short-term polls and the general interest of the country, I choose the general interest of the country," said the head of state. "If we have to endorse unpopularity today, I will endorse it."

-Violence-

"When the United States of America has experienced what it has experienced on Capitol Hill, when Brazil has experienced what it has experienced (...), I tell you very clearly," "we can not accept either the factious or the factions," assured the president.

- Legitimacy of trade unions -

Emmanuel Macron said he "respects" the unions who "have legitimacy when they march, when they demonstrate" but regretted that they had not presented a "compromise proposal" on the text of the reform. He says he is ready to "re-engage" a dialogue with them on working conditions to hear "this need for justice" expressed in the street.

Relative majority

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne "has my confidence to lead this government team," said the Head of State. He added that he had asked him "to build a legislative programme, a programme of government (...) to have both fewer laws, shorter, clearer texts, to also change things for our compatriots in a more tangible way". He also asked him to "enlarge the majority", without elaborating.

"The project of all the oppositions is the deficit", "there is no alternative majority", he hammered.

- Superprofits -

"There is still a bit of cynicism at work, when we have large companies that make such exceptional revenues that they end up using this money to buy back their own shares," said the head of state. He intends to "ask the government to work on an exceptional contribution".

- Immigration law -

The immigration bill will be "cut" into "shorter texts" that will be examined "in the coming weeks" by Parliament.

© 2023 AFP