French President proposes 4 directions to solve social unrest

In response to the expectations of the French people, President Emmanuel Macron held a televised press conference on the evening of April 25 to announce the government's future course of action.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference in Paris on the evening of April 25. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

This is also the French leader's response to the people's demands that were received through the national discussion, held from January 15 to March 15, to resolve deep disagreements in European national society.

President Macron began his speech by referring to the Yellow Vest movement, which has been accompanied by violent protests that have caused social unrest for the past five months.

He said that this movement has been distorted from its original "correct demands". Therefore, "currently, security and order need to be put first".

The initiative to organize a national discussion on pressing social issues has helped Mr Macron learn a lot, especially through meetings with local mayors.

Mr. Macron expressed pride that the national discussion, which was held for the first time and attracted the participation of millions of citizens, had brought many effective solutions for the country.

The President also said that thanks to that, he grasped the people's feelings about tax injustice and regional discrimination, and felt the people's lack of trust in the ruling elite.

A segment of the population increasingly feels forgotten, abandoned and unable to integrate into a rapidly changing society.

Mr Macron mentioned single mothers who work and raise their children alone, children who are victims of violence, people with disabilities, people who work in big cities but do not have enough money to live there.

He recognized that these were the “wounds” and “blind spots” of French society. In addition, people also had to face the fear of major changes related to the environment, immigration, digitalization, social downgrading and aging.

Mr Macron asserted that the plans implemented over the past two years have brought about the first positive results. More than 500,000 new jobs have been created, investment has increased and for the first time in many years, France's economic growth is higher than that of its neighbors.

Mr Macron stressed that the answer to dealing with injustices is to put people at the “centre” of development in the coming years, to give hope to everyone and ask everyone to do the best they can.

In an effort to heal social rifts, President Macron proposed four directions that his administration will take in the coming time. First of all is "deeply changing democracy and institutions".

Mr Macron wants to strengthen the role of mayors as well as the parliament, but will reduce the number of parliamentarians and limit the number of terms.

In addition, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council will also change to become truly representative of the people. This institutional reform will be implemented from next June, with the participation of 150 elite citizens selected by "lottery".

'Yellow Vest' protesters gather in Paris, France, April 20. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Macron disagrees with the establishment of a citizen initiative referendum (RIC), the most thorny demand of the Yellow Vests movement, which aims to give citizens the right to draft and repeal a law on a subject of their choice, and the right to recall parliamentarians, including the president. However, he wants to organize the consultation of the people in the form of a shared initiative, which the 2008 Constitutional amendment provided for but has never been implemented.

The second direction concerns taxes, which is what people are most looking forward to. President Macron has vowed to “significantly” reduce income taxes and eliminate loopholes. However, he has also insisted that he will not reinstate the wealth tax (ISF) that the Yellow Vests movement has been demanding.

The tax abolition is “not a gift” to the rich, but an incentive to invest, he said. The pension system will be reformed to improve the living standards of retirees, especially those on less than 2,000 euros a month. In addition, no schools or hospitals will be closed by 2022.

Referring to the third direction, President Macron said that an Ecological Protection Council will be established and begin its activities next June. It will be an institutional body, based on the current Economic, Social and Environmental Council, to propose measures and seek financial resources to implement relevant projects. The Council's first task will be to help people in the areas of transport and housing repair.

As for the fourth direction, President Macron wants to affirm France's role through a "national plan".

Specifically, he announced a mechanism to ensure food subsidies for families in difficult circumstances.

On the issue of migration, Mr. Macron affirmed the need to improve the reception and integration policy for refugees. Mr. Macron wants to launch an annual debate in Parliament on immigration policy.

It is too early to know whether President Macron’s answers will have an immediate impact on the social situation and calm the “anger” of the Yellow Vest movement. However, according to a quick poll conducted by Epoka right after the press conference, many specific measures of President Macron were supported by a large number of respondents./.