An hour and a half of general policy speeches before the National Assembly for confirmation: for Elisabeth Borne and Emmanuel Macron, the working basis is the presidential program of the Head of State. It is from the campaign proposals of the Head of State that the government intends to try to move forward, “text by text”. Even if, of course, the Prime Minister promised to “restore meaning and virtue to the word compromise, too long forgotten in our political life”.
For long minutes, the host of Matignon, who is playing his survival at his post, outlined the measures of the president’s program, insisting on the importance of “the value of work” and the return to full employment in the field. Economic and Social. Refoundation of the school or vocational high school, “solidarity at the source” for the payment of social assistance, public service for early childhood, fight against medical deserts, better integration of RSA holders, nothing has been forgotten. A consultation will be launched in September “to fight against medical deserts” through better coordination between the actors.
I don’t believe in degrowth.(Élisabeth Borne)
Elisabeth Borne defends solutions that will be adapted territory by territory. On the method, she promises to consult, consult, consult, resuscitating in passing the National Council for Refoundation. “More than ever, we will carry out each reform in consultation with trade unions and employers’ organizations,” she vowed. A “transpartisan commission” will be launched “at the start of the school year” to reflect on the future of the institutions.
Elisabeth Borne also emphasized the necessary ecological transition, she who is in charge of “planning” on the subject. She also claims a certain “radicality”, rather than the policy of small steps pursued so far. “We will be the first major ecological nation to get out of fossil fuels,” she said, using the formula of the head of state. For this, it projects “a balanced energy mix between renewable energies and nuclear”. However, she does not “believe[t] for a moment that it goes through degrowth”. A sign that she doesn’t care too much about flirting with the left of the hemicycle?
“We will be the first major ecological nation to get out of fossil fuels”, insists @Elisabeth_Borne. > “We will accelerate the deployment of renewable energies and invest in nuclear power with the construction of new reactors”.
This speech ultimately included few announcements, except for an “in-depth reform” of the Disabled Adult Allowance. “We will start from the principle of deconjugalization,” she said, which was demanded by both Les Républicains and Nupes. The allowance should therefore no longer depend – or only for a small part – on household income, but on the beneficiary alone. A concession to the opposition, even if Emmanuel Macron had paved the way for this measure during his campaign by responding to the questioning of a disabled person.
Elisabeth Borne also decided in favor of the abolition of the Contribution on the added value of companies (CVAE) from the 2023 finance law, a priori in full. The track of spreading it over time is therefore ruled out, despite the budgetary cost of such a measure, nearly 8 billion euros. The Prime Minister also confirmed that the State would buy 100% of EDF, while it currently only holds 85%. And this to finance the development of new nuclear reactors, the EPRs.
She reaffirmed her commitment to lead the pension reform. “Our social model, she noted, is a paradox: both the most generous and where we work the least time”. It is therefore in the name of “the prosperity of our country and the sustainability of our pay-as-you-go system” that she justifies that “we will have to work gradually a little longer”. However, she was careful not to mention the decline in the retirement age to 65 or 64 years. “The reform “is not tied up, it is not to be taken or left”, she tried to reassure, promising to lead “in consultation with the social partners by involving the parliamentarians most in possible upstream”. Elisabeth Borne promises that she will “not be uniform”. A way of suggesting that those who started working early will be able to leave earlier. The former Minister of Labor also insisted on the fact that working conditions should be improved so that many are not broken at the end of their careers.
“Our country needs a reform of its pension system, which will take into account long careers and hardship”, confirms @Elisabeth_Borne, provoking boos from the opposition. “We will have to work gradually a little longer.”
Elisabeth Borne also wanted to warn about the state of the country’s public finances as she prepares to draw her bill on purchasing power. She still refuses any tax increase. “Today, we must find clear prospects for improving our public accounts,” she said. A “duty to future generations”. She acknowledged that “because of the ongoing war, our economic growth will be weaker” as “the debt burden increases” with rising interest rates. This did not prevent it from maintaining its objectives of restoring accounts. “In 2026, we have to start lowering the debt and in 2027 bring the deficits below 3%,” she reiterated. A way of appealing to the responsibility of the oppositions.
