Health pass, 3rd dose, employment, pensions, nuclear ... what to remember from Macron's announcements

Emmanuel Macron takes back control in what is now very electoral news.

For a little less than 30 minutes, the Head of State spoke this Tuesday evening on television, in order to take stock of the health situation linked to Covid-19 and remind the French that they do not have any. not yet finished with the virus.

Elysian ambitions did not stop there.

The President of the Republic also announced new measures (concerning in particular the booster doses and the health pass).

Beyond the epidemic, he took the opportunity to discuss upcoming reforms, to defend measures taken in recent weeks and which have undoubtedly not impressed enough on the French.

All while looking forward to next year.

The presidential campaign is never far away.

Health situation

“For nearly two years we have been facing an exceptional pandemic, he started.

This is what led us to decide twice on confinement ”.

Emmanuel Macron recognizes that France is facing a resumption of the epidemic.

“We are not done with the epidemic, he warns, adding that we will have to live with the virus and that the fifth wave has started in Europe.

The Head of State also recalled that many European countries were facing a difficult situation.

In France, if the situation is “more favorable” all the indicators are on the rise (+ 30% of daily cases, + 20% of daily hospitalizations and admissions in critical care in one week), even if the situation still remains controlled.

Mandatory booster dose to keep their health pass in the elderly

The Parisian wrote this Tuesday morning: conditioning the health pass to the injection of a booster dose for only those over 65 was clearly one of the measures on the table.

A change in a code file used by the TousAntiCovid and TousAntiCovidVérif applications could also foreshadow this.

Emmanuel Macron confirmed it this evening: from December 15, a person aged at least 65 will have their health pass deactivated if they do not receive a booster dose.

Currently, 3 million people aged 65 and over have received a booster dose in France.

This represents nearly 70% of those vaccinated seven months ago (and therefore eligible), and 21% of the entire population in this age group.

The booster dose not (yet) mandatory for everyone

Today, apart from residents aged 65 or over, only those with co-morbidities and professionals in contact with vulnerable people (including caregivers) are called upon to receive a booster dose.

Generalization to the entire adult population, as in Israel for example, is “considered” probable by the High Authority for Health, but not immediately.

Emmanuel Macron has not announced it.

Opening at the 3rd dose for over 50s

The President of the Republic has all the same opted for an enlargement of the public called to receive a third dose, which will concern, from “the beginning of December”, also the 50-64 years.

Among the 13 million inhabitants in this age group, 1.7 were vaccinated 6 months ago and are therefore now eligible for the booster.

This opening will be effective from the beginning of December.

"Get vaccinated"

6.6 million inhabitants eligible for vaccination, that is to say at least 12 years old, have not yet received a dose of the vaccine.

The head of state put pressure on them.

"Get vaccinated," implored them the President of the Republic.

Get vaccinated so that you can live normally ”.

Vaccination of 5-11 year olds is not planned at this stage and was not mentioned by the Head of State.

Regarding them, no decision will be taken a priori before the European Medicines Agency delivers its opinion in December.

Call to order on barrier gestures

Vaccination does not exempt anyone from respecting barrier gestures, which are essential in the fight against the spread of the epidemic.

Including people who have been vaccinated.

Thus, Emmanuel Macron justified maintaining the wearing of the mask at school in the most affected departments.

“We all relaxed a bit, and that's normal.

We must therefore take them back, ”said Emmanuel Macron.

Macron defends an economic upturn

Accused on the right of "burning the fund" for electoral purposes, Emmanuel Macron was keen to defend his economic record.

“Our growth exceeds 6%, our unemployment is at its lowest for 20 years.

We are one of the only countries in the world where purchasing power has continued to increase, ”he said, promising to aim, not without planning, for“ full employment ”.

Pension reform

The measure has remained in the boxes since Emmanuel Macron unpacked his suitcases at the Elysee.

Pension reform, a subject so sensitive and repeatedly postponed.

In recent weeks, the line fixed was as follows: the file will not be opened as long as the epidemic situation remains threatening.

To tell the truth, the government itself was divided on whether to relaunch such a sensitive reform so close to the end of the five-year term.

Some figures of the majority, starting with François Bayrou and Richard Ferrand, even considered it much smarter to make it one of the major axes of a policy of the second presidential term.

Read also Pension reform: "We have other priorities", loose Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron has chosen to stay on this line: "The health situation we are experiencing, the unanimous wish of trade unions and professional organizations, concord

mean that the conditions are not met to launch this project", s is it justified.

A new step in the reform of unemployment insurance

Last October, the government approved the reduction in allowances for new job seekers.

Since October 1, 1.15 million new unemployed have thus been affected and impacted by this measure.

Building on the improvement in the economic situation mentioned above, Emmanuel Macron decided to go further by taking measures that were already on the table.

Thus, the opening of unemployment rights will only be possible for job seekers who have worked for at least six months in the last two years, against four months currently, announced the President of the Republic.

This measure will come into force on December 1.

Above all, the control of job search will be strengthened.

“Job seekers who do not actively search will see their benefits suspended,” he announces.

Employment contract

The President of the Republic also returned to a measure announced through his Facebook page on November 2.

The employment contract, which allows young people under 26 to receive an allowance of up to 500 euros per month in exchange for training or support time of 15 to 20 hours per week.

If the right had immediately accused Emmanuel Macron of taking out the checkbook for electoral purposes, the detail of the measure had also aroused some disappointments on the side of the unions.

Because last July, when he sketched the first outlines of the device, the President of the Republic spoke of "engagement income", which should have potentially benefited a million young French people.

The employment contract ultimately targets 400,000 young people, 300,000 of whom are currently already in the circuit, and will switch as current beneficiaries of the youth guarantee or Intensive Youth Support (AIF).

Read alsoWhy the new device still raises questions

Emmanuel Macron has chosen to defend his measure.

“I announced a contract because the rights that we open correspond to duties.

".

Relaunch of nuclear reactor construction

On nuclear power, Emmanuel Macron has decided to step up the pace.

The subject has already permeated the presidential campaign.

Also, the televised intervention of the Head of State comes two weeks after the operator of the electricity network RTE published its report recommending the construction of EPR type reactors.

"If we want to pay for our energy at reasonable rates, we must continue to invest in the production of carbon-free energy."

To achieve this, Emmanuel Macron promised to relaunch the construction of nuclear reactors, without providing more details.

Macron defends his France 2030 plan

Nuclear investments were part of the France 2030 plan. On October 12, the Head of State unveiled a plan costing some 30 billion euros, part of which was included in the 2022 budget, which is supposed to guarantee the future. and the country's economic sovereignty. Whole sections of the French economy are affected, ranging from the automobile, nuclear, agriculture, maritime, biotechnology and therefore nuclear. The President of the Republic defends his business.

"Our goal is clear: that the products and technologies that will make the jobs and lives of 2030 do not come only from the United States and China, but also from France and Europe."

The opportunity for him to defend the necessary European understanding, two months before the French presidency of the European Union.

"Our partners are not strangers, they are faced with the same waves and the same storms".

The president evokes a collective work to “control the external borders, build an industrial and technological sovereignty”.