French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a range of measures on Tuesday aimed at reviving his second term, which has been blighted by his unpopularity and controversial reforms. Macron, who recently appointed France’s youngest ever prime minister, emphasized the need for unity to strengthen the country, despite his limited parliamentary majority.
Macron expressed confidence in the country’s ability to succeed, stating, “I’m convinced that we have all the assets we need to succeed, and that we will live better tomorrow than we do today.”
He outlined measures to regulate children’s screen time, introduce uniforms in schools, provide more civic instruction and theater classes in junior high school, and improve parental leave.
Macron also pledged to launch new liberal reforms to stimulate the economy, emphasizing the need for France to “produce more” and “innovate more” in order to regain financial independence.
With European Parliament elections looming, Macron promised to support the middle class and improve access to social welfare, acknowledging the struggles of those who “earn too much to get help but not enough to live well.”
The appointment of Gabriel Attal, a 34-year-old rising star in French politics, signaled Macron’s intention to move past the divisive pension and immigration reforms that sparked protests in the past year.
(Reporting by Benoit van Overstraeten, Tassilo Hummel, Elizabeth Pineau, Ingrid Melander, John Irish; Writing by Ingrid Melander; editing by John Irish)
