The sixth of his presidency, but the first of his second five-year term.
This Saturday evening, at 8 p.m., Emmanuel Macron once again had "
the privilege
" of pronouncing his traditional "wishes to the French", sitting in front of the personal library of his corner office, at the Elysée.
The speech, recorded under live conditions at the start of the evening, lasted nearly 20 minutes.
Exactly as had already been the case in 2017, which he himself at the time considered "
too long
".
Re-elected eight months ago, before the French sanctioned him with a relative majority in the spring, the Head of State was keen to deliver a message of confidence and optimism, at the end of a year marked by "
unimaginable challenges
", such as the war in Ukraine and its consequences on the territory.
"
The vow ceremonies are unique in that they force us to talk about a future that in truth we do not know
", he then noted, before indulging in the usual exercise of "assessment and prospects" .
An “imperative of unity” so as not to give in to the “spirit of division”
He attacked his detractors from the outset. From the first words of his speech, Emmanuel Macron called for "
facing, with our strengths and our weaknesses
", the torments which will undoubtedly not be lacking in the twelve months to come.
And to do it “
as much as possible, in a united and united country
”.
An "
imperative of unity
" which, according to him, aims to resist "
the temptation of the spirit of defeat
" and "
the spirit of division which presses us from all sides
".
“
If we gave in, we would have almost no chance of getting out of it
,” he summed up, taking care however not to name the opponents targeted by this charge.
It is "in our hands" to avoid "electricity cuts" this winter
This is one of the fears for winter.
While the clemency of the weather has so far made it possible to limit gas and electricity consumption, possible targeted “load shedding” is still not excluded in the coming weeks.
“
Will there be power cuts?
“, thus questioned the President of the Republic.
Before detailing the conditions that will make it possible to avoid such a scenario: "
If we continue to save energy as we have been doing for a few months (...) and if we continue to bring our nuclear reactors back into service as planned, we we will get there.
It is in our hands
”.
Executive will 'adapt' to keep rising energy prices 'capped'
The "whatever it takes" has left its mark.
If the executive keeps repeating that it has stopped the exceptional system put in place during the health crisis, the checks, boosts, and other bonuses, however, have not ceased to multiply since.
"
Whenever necessary, the government will adapt its responses, as it has done at all times
", thus warned the Head of State, after noting that "
energy prices have reached historic levels
.
“
The increase will remain capped in our country
,” he continued.
Referring to "
our artisan bakers (and) our most industrial companies
", he assured them that they would benefit "
tomorrow
" from new "
adapted aid, in addition to the tariff shield already in place
”.
“This year” 2023 “will indeed be that of a pension reform”
He's backed up enough, now it's time to jump.
After having given it up during his first term, and after having postponed it for another month this winter, Emmanuel Macron certified that "
this year (2023) will indeed be that of a pension reform
", the presentation of which is set for January 10.
"
We need to work harder
," he insisted, saying he wanted to "
ensure the balance of our system for the years and decades to come
".
Without deciding the debate still in progress on the legal age of departure, the president indicated that "
the lengthening of our careers (...) will be progressive
", and that it "
will be done in stages, over nearly ten years
”.
Likewise, he also boasted a text “
just
”, in that it will allow “
to improve the minimum pension
” to 1200 euros, and will take “
into account long careers, chopped careers, the difficulties of certain trades
”.
An ode to "work", evoked a dozen times in favor of an anaphora
An anaphora to emphasize the message.
If he mentioned many subjects during his speech, Emmanuel Macron made "
work
" the red thread of his remarks.
Initially praising pell-mell the "
work of transformation
", the "
work as close as possible to the field
", or even the "
work of the government (...) and of Parliament
", he then engaged in a anaphora dedicated to this value that he cherishes so much - "
It is through our work and our commitment
".
“We will be able to cope” in the event of a new wave of Covid-19
The images from China bring back bad memories.
Especially since the current epidemic context - flu and bronchiolitis - has put the hospital sector back in tension.
However, “
we will be able to cope
” if “
we had to undergo a wave of Covid again
”, affirmed the Head of State.
“
First thanks to the reasonable and adapted use of barrier gestures against the virus that we learned then thanks to vaccination which has shown its effectiveness.
And this evening I urge all our compatriots over 70 in particular, to do their recall or to get vaccinated if it has not already been done.
Finally, by testing, sequencing, establishing border controls
“For travelers from countries at risk, he said, as will be the case “
tomorrow
” for China.
“The ecological transition is a battle that we must win”
He wants to make it one of the strong points of his five-year term.
After a summer marked by the visible effects of global warming - heat waves, devastating fires, etc.
-, the Head of State considered that "
the ecological transition is a battle that we must win
".
"
Ecological planning will be the instrument of this historic overrun to lower our CO2 emissions and save our biodiversity
", he insisted again, while a text on the acceleration of the production of renewable energies will soon be examined in the National Assembly, before that on nuclear power.
Helping the Ukrainians “without fail” “until victory” against Russia
He knows that his position may have created misunderstandings.
Anxious to support Ukraine, while also preserving the possibility of a possible future dialogue with Russia, Emmanuel Macron wanted to reassure the people of Volodymir Zelensky about his intentions.
Referring to “
friends
”, he launched to them: “
We respect you and we admire you.
Your fight for the defense of your nation is heroic and it inspires us.
And during the coming year, we will be unfailingly at your side, We will help until victory is achieved and we will be together to build a just and lasting peace.
Count on France and count on Europe
”.
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