Pension reform, ArcelorMittal… On TF1, Emmanuel Macron takes to the airwaves to say no

Ten months after the failed dissolution, which caused the presidential majority to lose 73 parliamentarians and transform it into a minority, Emmanuel Macron intended to get back on track through "event" sequences during a program devoted to the "challenges of France" broadcast live on TF1 this Tuesday.

Facing him: Sophie Binet , general secretary of the CGT, Robert Ménard , mayor of Béziers, Agnès Verdier-Molinié, ultra-liberal economist, and representatives of the youth, such as the journalist Salomé Saqué or the YouTuber Tibo InShape . Having just entered the set, the head of state appeared offensive in the face of a country which, according to him, "is characterized by a form of pessimism about itself." "I believe that, all together, we have tried to hold out in the face of crises ," he added, saying he was "ready to answer for what has been done" since his election in 2017. If an announcement of a referendum was expected, the head of state simply expressed the wish to organize a multiple consultation in the coming months "on major economic, educational or social reforms." "It's up to the government to finish this work and then it's up to me to make the decision," he said. "But the idea is that we can engage our compatriots on major economic, educational and social reforms."

First questioned on the issue of the war in Ukraine , the President of the Republic affirmed this "will": "To take new sanctions in conjunction with the United States" if Russia "confirms its non-compliance" with the truce agreement. There remains some vagueness about their nature, the President merely citing what will not be done. Namely, the use of frozen Russian assets. "We do not have the legal framework to do so," he explained, specifying however that the interest generated from these assets has been used to finance aid to Ukraine.

While declaring that he did not want to "start a third world war," Emmanuel Macron affirmed that France would continue to "train, equip, and support Ukraine (...) so that it has a strong army" while proposing, with "all the allies who are ready, " "reassurance forces pre-positioned along the front line, in locations that are key to conducting joint operations."

Subsequently, national economic and social issues animated the debates. Alerted by Sophie Binet to the 400 redundancy plans identified by the CGT throughout the country and to the specific situation of ArcelorMittal , the president rejected the possibility of nationalization, while nevertheless slipping in that he had no dogma on the issue. "No, I am not going to nationalize Arcelor, that would be spending billions of euros ," he replied. "Nationalizing a company that cannot establish itself on a market is not a good use of money. It is lying to people to tell them that nationalization is the remedy."

Rather than providing a meaningful response to the decentralization that is affecting the country and the entire European continent, the president contented himself with an exercise in self-congratulation: "I do not underestimate this situation. Nevertheless, the policy I have been pursuing since 2017 has helped to halt the decline in the number of industrial jobs (...). We have reduced the unemployment rate in our country by 2 points, we are the most attractive country in Europe!" "What I see from your responses is that, once again, you refuse to confront the multinationals," Sophie Binet retorted.

The issue of pension reform was then raised at the initiative of the General Secretary of the CGT. "Why are you so determined to push through this reform?" she asked, asking him to hold a referendum on repealing the law raising the retirement age to 64. "The answer is no," the President of the Republic declared.

"This reform will free up around 17 billion euros," he defended himself, stubbornly maintaining this reform, which was widely rejected by the French people. "If we repeal this reform, there will be around ten billion euros to find every year. If it's retirement at 60, that's 28 billion. We don't have this money and we don't know how to find it."

Faced with this fallacious argument, Sophie Binet, for her part, raised the possibility of implementing a Zucman tax , aimed at taxing assets in France of more than 100 million, which would allow the State to bring in 20 billion euros per year. The head of state rejected this. "We are leaving this discussion without any announcement to improve the situation of the French," lamented the unionist. The only intention mentioned by Emmanuel Macron: his wish to organize a "social conference on" the "method of financing our social model." Another conclave for nothing?