Pensions, Charles III... What to remember from Emmanuel Macron's press conference in Brussels

Europe 1 with AFP 14:58 p.m., March 24, 2023

Emmanuel Macron was at a press conference on Friday on the occasion of a European summit. The opportunity for him to evoke the social context of the country in the aftermath of a great day of mobilization against the pension reform, punctuated by violence, especially in Paris. What call into question the visit of the King of England Charles III, initially scheduled for Sunday evening, but which was finally postponed, the head of state believing that it was "not serious" to maintain it given the situation.

Macron says he is "at the disposal of the inter-union"

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he was "at the disposal of the inter-union" once the Constitutional Council has rendered its decision on the pension reform. "I have indicated our readiness to move forward on subjects such as professional wear and tear, end of career, retraining, career development, working conditions, remuneration in certain sectors," said the head of state at a press conference in Brussels.

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"And so I am at the disposal of the inter-union if it wishes to come and meet me to move forward on all these subjects. For the rest and the pension reform, it is before the Constitutional Council and it is obvious that we will wait for the decision of the Constitutional Council." But "the country can not be at a standstill", "we continue to move forward", also said Emmanuel Macron.

A new date "at the beginning of summer" for the visit of Charles III

Emmanuel Macron said he had proposed that "at the beginning of the summer", a new date of visit of King Charles III could "be stalled", after the postponement of his trip because of the demonstrations against the pension reform. "We proposed that at the beginning of the summer, according to our respective agendas, we could together stall a new state visit" of the British monarch, he explained. According to him, "common sense and friendship lead us to propose a postponement", and "we would not be serious and we would lack a certain common sense" to "propose a visit in the middle of the demonstrations".

Sufficiently "solid" banks in the euro zone, Macron assures

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that eurozone banks were "solid" despite the current market turbulence. "The fundamentals of European banks are solid (...) The eurozone is the area where banks are the strongest," he said.

Visit to China: Macron announces that he will be accompanied by Ursula von der Leyen

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday that he would be accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her trip to China in early April. "I proposed to President von der Leyen to accompany me on a part" of the visit to present a "united (European) voice" against Beijing, he said.