Turn the page. During a televised address broadcast at 8 p.m. on April 17, 2023, Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that the very controversial pension reform had probably not been accepted by the French. “Despite months of consultation, a consensus could not be found. I regret it and we must take our full share of responsibility,” he said. Justifying a “necessary” law, the President of the Republic nevertheless asked citizens to make a new effort to avoid “lowering pensions” for retirement, “increasing contributions” or “doing nothing”.
From the Elysée, the head of state spoke of the “anger” of the population, “expressed in the face of a job that no longer allows you to live well (…) in the face of rising prices”. For this reason, he stressed his desire to build “a new pact for life at work”… And mentioned several “priority projects” on which the executive intends to work. In particular, the subjects of health, education, purchasing power and even “justice and republican order” were discussed.
To do this, Emmanuel Macron gives himself 100 so-called “appeasement” days before the gradual implementation of the pension reform in the fall. What are the six key dates of this period? We take stock in our slideshow below.
In the street, the anger does not weaken. During Emmanuel Macron’s televised address, pot concerts and demonstrations took place all over France. The Association for the taxation of financial transactions and for citizen action (Attac) had called for a boycott of the president’s speech on social networks.
At 6:30 p.m., more than an hour before the speech was broadcast, the association had already counted more than 300 gatherings across the country.
