A major press conference, in a format new since 2019: in front of journalists, Emmanuel Macron presented, Tuesday January 16, the main axes of the action that he intends to implement with his new Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, to relaunch a five-year term. The Head of State defended the new Minister of National Education, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, criticized for her justifications for sending her children to private school. “The minister made a public statement that was clumsy. She apologized for it, she did the right thing”reacted Emmanuel Macron. “I am rather lenient, because I happened to make comments, at the very beginning of my political responsibilities, which were hurtful.”. Follow the reactions to this press conference in our livestream.
Announcements about the school and the SNU. “We will move towards the generalization of the Universal National Service in second”, said Emmanuel Macron, who devoted a large part of his remarks to education. He listed several measures at the start of his introductory speech : doubling the hours of civic education, a graduation ceremony at the end of the year in middle and high schools, a possible generalization of the uniform in 2026 and work on the use of screens by children.
A new shortened “birth leave”. Calling for a “demographic rearmament” in response to the drop in the French birth rate, Emmanuel Macron promised a plan to combat infertility and an overhaul of parental leave. New “birth leave” would be shorter and equal, six months for each parent, but “better paid”. A speech criticized on the left.
A tax cut in 2025 for the middle classes. Emmanuel Macron assured that the tax cut of two billion euros promised to the middle classes would take place in 2025. This measure has been envisaged since the spring of 2023, but its exact timing had evolved over the months.
“Earn a better living through work.” Emmanuel Macron wanted measures to be put in place to enable “earn a better living through work”, “with the endowment of our tax and social measures, but also with negotiations in certain sectors”. He also wanted civil servants to be paid more “on merit”. This reform “will start in the coming weeks”he assured.