French President Emmanuel Macron is seen on a television screen as he delivers his New Year's speech to the nation at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, December 31, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron takes credit for pushing through sometimes unpopular reforms in 2023 and says he will drive an economic “rearmament” to try to meet his goal of full employment by 2027.
“These past months have been far from the futility that some predicted and that’s good,” Macron said in his traditional New Year’s Eve national address on Sunday, citing both the law that increased the retirement age and the immigration bill adopted last month.
In the 13-minute televised speech, he also said his government would start major programmes in nuclear power, artificial intelligence and transportation in 2024.
“We need to do all we can to meet our goal of full employment, continue to innovate, but also attract companies and create more in France,” he said.
While Macron heads into 2024 with the relief of rapidly easing inflation, sluggish growth may undermine his efforts to create jobs and repair public finances.
With more than three years left of his tenure, France’s leader faces mounting political challenges.
The immigration bill, which passed thanks to conservatives’ votes, deepened fractures within his party and its allies in the National Assembly, prompting many analysts to say they expect a cabinet reshuffle in the coming months. — Bloomberg
