Without specific news as to their date of resumption, restaurants and bars remain in the sights of the executive, assured this Wednesday, January 13 Emmanuel Macron.
On the occasion of the traditional Galette des Rois de l'Elysée, the president “
praised the excellence of the catering trade
,” reported several federations present.
Read also: The future of restaurateurs in the hands of the State
The tenant of the Élysée Palace has also brought a glimmer of hope to professionals whose establishments can no longer receive the public since the end of October but can still sell their products to take away: restaurants and bars will resume their activity "as
soon as possible
», He promised.
However, "
the virus will continue to weigh heavily in the coming weeks
", qualified Emmanuel Macron.
“
Visibility
” will be given to the catering sector, which could have resumed on January 20 but saw the prospects of a reopening before at least mid-February fade away a few days ago during the press conference by Jean Castex.
"
2020 was very hard for all of your professions (...) You have suffered a lot
", notably launched the French president to the participants in the event.
He nevertheless defended the action of his government, specifying that France "
is one of the countries which has most protected those who work
" by providing "
massive and rapid support
", and "
we must continue to do so, improving
”.
The aid system will be maintained when the health situation improves and it will be necessary to "
support the most fragile treasuries (of companies)
" during the phase of economic recovery, according to him.
The Head of State also welcomed the success of the Back to School: general mobilization to save apprenticeship, with 440,000 contracts signed last year, including 72,000 in the catering trade and 24,000 in bakeries alone.
"
Without government help, many of us would have lowered the curtain,
" admitted, for his part, the president of the National Confederation of French Bakery and Pastry (CNPBF), Dominique Anract.
The baguette, "250 grams of magic and perfection"
Emmanuel Macron also pledged to defend UNESCO's inclusion of the French baguette - "
250 grams of magic and perfection
" - as a world heritage site.
It "
is the image of France in the world
", underlined the president of the CNPBF, at the origin of the request in 2018. "
I tell you very quickly for the inscription of the baguette in the intangible heritage of UNESCO
”, the Minister in charge of SMEs, Alain Griset, wrote shortly after on Twitter.
Despite the crisis, Emmanuel Macron was keen to maintain the tradition of L'Épiphanie, which has been held every year since 1975 at the Élysée, where the galette des rois is never garnished with a bean.
As a health precaution, the cake was not shared and tasted during the reception.
The cake in question had a wingspan of 1.20 m.
