Back on a rich return. Invited to the news of 20 Hours of TF1 and France 2 this Sunday evening, President Emmanuel Macron had many topics to discuss, after remarkable visits from King Charles III and Pope Francis. Inflation, immigration, ecology, international... Here is the summary of the announcements and statements of the Head of State.
For migrants, "the France does its part," Macron says
While Italy is facing a large flow of migrants, especially in Lampedusa, Macron remains firm: "Europe is the continent that does the most. We French are doing our part. We welcome more and more children, our departments know it. We invest 2 billion euros per year in emergency accommodation, "insists the president, who ensures to have a "generous" social model.
But "we cannot accommodate all the misery in the world," says the president, who wants to put in place strategies to dismantle smuggling networks, and partnerships with transit countries.
Inflation: Macron campaigns for "social dialogue" and renegotiations
On inflation, the president has spoken out against indexing wages to rising prices, which would create an "inflationary loop," he said. On the other hand, Emmanuel Macron ensures that he wants to "continue the work to create jobs, continue to support the wage increase", especially "with all the branches that still have a minimum wage below the legal minimum wage".
In parallel, as announced by the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire, trade negotiations with major industrialists will be reopened, to "pass faster the fall in prices" of food, without "breaking" them, says the president.
A fuel voucher of 100 euros
This is one of Emmanuel Macron's strong announcements tonight: faced with rising prices at the pump, the State will provide new fuel aid capped at 100 euros. "I asked the government for the upcoming budget, to continue to support the French who work (...)? It is not a check, it is a mechanism that will be limited to workers, which will not exceed, what is called the first five deciles, that is to say the 50% of the most modest French and which will be a maximum of 100 euros per car per year, said Emmanuel Macron. It is targeted. We are not helping households that do not need it. »
Still on the fuel side: Macron announced that he would abandon the sale of fuel at a loss, which Elisabeth Borne had announced a week ago, and asked distributors to "sell at cost price".
Ecology: electric vehicles and biomass power plants
On ecology, "we are halfway there," promises Emmanuel Macron. "Because we have reduced our CO2 emissions twice as fast in the last five years. We have to get out of coal. By 2027, both coal-fired power plants will be converted to biomass," he announced.
The president also pledged to encourage the transition of French households to electric cars. "We have to produce electric vehicles and batteries at home. We are in the process of relocating the production of electric vehicles. We must support households. By the end of the year, we will finalize this leasing that I promised: we will allow households to have, for 100 euros per month, electric vehicles produced in Europe, "he said.
Withdrawal of French troops in Niger
The president announced, on Sunday evening, the upcoming withdrawal of French troops in Niger, now led by a military junta after a coup d'état and the taking hostage of its elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. "In the next few hours, our ambassador will return to France. We are also ending our cooperation in Niger, the soldiers deployed there, too, will return by the end of the year," Macron said.
This withdrawal of French troops will be done in an "orderly manner", and the French army "will continue to intervene wherever the States request it", added the president, who disputes any accusation of reviving "Françafrique".
Macron shows his "support for the Armenian people"
As the Nagorno-Karabakh region – mostly populated by Armenians – is struggling with Azerbaijan's armed forces, Emmanuel Macron expressed his "constant and unconditional support for Armenia".
"We will mobilize on the humanitarian front. But also political support to negotiate peace. Finally, the France is very vigilant about Armenia's territorial integrity. We have a Russia that is complicit with Azerbaijan. The France will stand with the Armenian people," the president said, expressing concern for Armenia's "territorial integrity" as Baku "threatens the border."
