Emmanuel Macron did not suggest any kind of compromise on pension reform today, although his prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, will meet union leaders next week. The French president said that all changes are difficult but that “the Republic cannot stop” because of the protests.
There was anticipation of Macron’s move to Savines-le-Lac, in the Hautes-Alpes department, his first departure from Paris on a national trip after serious riots in recent weeks. He was greeted with hostility by some two hundred demonstrators, forcefully dispersed by the police, who arrested two people.
The Head of State went to talk about the water saving plan to face the consequences of the climate emergency and the increasingly frequent and long droughts. It was inevitable, however, that journalists would ask him about pensions. His stance hasn’t changed. Macron was questioned about his recent televised interview that further inflamed tempers. “I am not the commentator of myself, it is not my function,” he answered emphatically.
The president expressed his rejection of the violent response, for example the one that took place last weekend in the Deux-Sèvres department, in the west of the country, in a protest against the construction of large water storage ponds. According to Macron, there were people who came there “to make war” and that cannot be allowed.
Managing water as a scarce commodity will be a top priority in France for decades to come. It is estimated that by 2050, the country will have between 30 and 40% less water than today. Macron spoke of “reinventing the agricultural model”. France must make a huge effort to reuse its wastewater, following the example of Israel and also Spain – cited by the president – ??and to modernize the pipes, since today 20% of the water that circulates is lost due to leaks . In some areas that loss reaches 50%.
