France must work more, Emmanuel Macron tells ‘yellow vests’
Emmanuel Macron promised “significant” tax cuts for France’s middle classes while cutting public spending but told the French they must work like their “neighbours”, in a much-awaited response to five-months of “yellow vest” protests.
In what the French media dubbed his “moment of truth”, the 41-year old centrist promised citizens a “new act in our Republic” during a marathon two hour and 20 minute press conference at the Elysée – his first since his election – in which he confessed his way of running the country had lacked “humanity”.
After enacting a whirlwind set of reforms, notably loosening labour laws, the president has been on the back foot since he was blindsided by nationwide protests initially fuel tax rises but which morphed into wider anger at the inability of provincial France to make ends meet.
Much of the fury was directed towards Mr Macron in person, seen as an arrogant “president of the rich”. Stunned, he offered a first string of sweeteners in December worth €10 billion euros but this failed to calm anger among low-income workers.
He then launched an unprecedented three-month nationwide “great debate”, personally taking place in many himself. Millions made online contributions.
On Thursday, Mr Macron confirmed he would continue to take part in debates around the country, saying they were all part of “the art of being French”.
During his address, he said the tax cuts would be worth around €5 billion euros.
"We must work more, I’ve said it before. France works much less than its neighbours. We need to have a real debate on this," Mr Macron told 150 journalists gathered under the chandeliers of the Elysée’s recently refurbished ballroom.
Mr Macron confirmed leaked plans to scrap the ENA, France’s finishing school for future presidents, saying that while he deeply believed in a meritocratic system of recruiting the country’s elite civil servants, it failed to reflect a cross-section of society.
He stood firm on calls to reinstate a wealth tax he had cut at the start of the presidency, saying it would be reviewed in 2020.
"It was a reform to stimulate production, not a present for the rich,” he insisted.
Responding to calls for more direct democracy, Mr Macron said he would make it easier to hold referendums on some issues by making these possible via petitions signed by a million citizens.
He also pledged to cut civil servants in Paris and give more powers – and responsibilities – to the provinces.
Repeatedly grilled on his style, Mr Macron said he “deeply regretted” having made off-the-cuff remarks that had infuriated many French. But he insisted his reform drive would continue.
“I asked myself: Should we stop everything that was done over the past two years? Did we take a wrong turn? I believe quite the opposite,” he said.
Mr Macron faces an uphill struggle to convince the French, however.
An Ipsos-Sopra Steria opinion poll for Le Monde suggested that more than three-quarters of French voters did not believe the debate process would improve the political situation.
In his only question on foreign policy, the president said he admitted difference with German counterpart Angela Merkel on Brexit, saying “we are not completely on the same page”, without providing further detail.
The French leader has been notoriously tough during EU talks on whether to extend the Brexit deadline.