Factbox-Macron wants the French to work longer, shake up welfare state
2022.04.23 14:52
French President Emmanuel Macron, candidate for his re-election in the 2022 French presidential election, reacts during a campaign rally in Figeac on the last day of campaigning, ahead of the second round of the presidential election, France, April 22, 20
By Michel Rose
PARIS (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron, a former investment banker who was elected in 2017 on a promise to be neither of the left nor the right, is projected in voter surveys to win a second term against a resurgent far-right Marine Le Pen, although with a smaller margin of victory.
Here are his main policy proposals:
ECONOMY
* Raise the minimum pension age to 65 from 62 and increase the minimum monthly pension to 1,100 euros ($1,187).
* Require 15-20 hours a week of training for welfare benefit recipients
* Cut taxes by 15 billion euros with half for households and the rest for businesses.
* Further loosen labour market rules and reform unemployment insurance to make payments vary according to the state of the economy
* Raise the threshold over which inheritance tax kicks in from 100,000 euros to 150,000 euros
EUROPE, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
* Make the European Union more self-sufficient in defence, agriculture, energy and strategic economic sectors
* Strengthen the capacities of national European armies, increase co-ordination between them and create a “common military doctrine”
* Create European industrial champions including a “European metaverse”
* Reform the European electricity market
IMMIGRATION & SECURITY
* Make long-term residence permits conditional on a French exam and employment
* Expel foreigners deemed to be trouble-makers
* Create a rapid-action force to restore order in troubled “banlieues”, economically deprived suburbs.
* Broader scope for on-the-spot-fines for petty crime
ENERGY
* Build six new nuclear reactors and launch studies for another eight, increase solar energy capacity tenfold, build 50 wind farms at sea by mid-century
* Take control of certain energy companies, suggesting that the government would revive stalled plans to buy out minority shareholders in nuclear utility EDF (EPA:EDF)
* Renovate 700,000 homes a year
* Leasing scheme to make electric vehicles more accessible
* Put the next prime minister directly in charge of “green planning” to make France the “first great nation”. Stop using oil, coal and gas
($1 = 0.9264 euros)
