It must be one of the incarnations of the “new method” promised by Emmanuel Macron for his second five-year term. In an interview with the regional press, Friday, June 3, eight days before the first round of the legislative elections, the president notably announced the forthcoming creation of a “National Council for Refoundation”. Franceinfo comes back in four questions on the outlines of this project.
What will this instance look like?
This National Refoundation Council will bring together “the political, economic, social, associative forces, of the elected representatives of the territories and of citizens drawn by lot”, specifies Emmanuel Macron. A model that evokes both that of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese), which brings together representatives of civil society (advisers from trade unions, NGOs, the business world), and that of the Citizens’ Convention on the climate (CCC), entirely made up of citizens chosen at random.
The President refers to a “cultural revolution [qui] starts from the field and associates all the actors”, ensuring that “the French are tired of reforms that come from above (…). Paris must be at the service of the field.” The structure will be launched “immediately after the legislative”first with “a first sequence of several days, then regular appointments”describes the president. “I hope that the Prime Minister and her government can bring it to life”he adds.
Contacted by franceinfo, the Elysée specifies that“there will be a dedicated team with the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to prepare, organize and set up this meeting. It is not a question of recreating a structure similar to the Cese, but of finding a new method to meet the challenges posed by this new era.” The way in which the participants of this CNR will be designated has not been communicated.
What will be its missions?
The CNR will be responsible for putting forward the five objectives that the president says he has “gate (…) during the campaign: independence (industrial, military, food), full employment, carbon neutrality, public services for equal opportunities and democratic rebirth with institutional reform”.
The CNR should first address issues of purchasing power. Then come several “major projects: production, ecology, public services”. The Head of State mentions in particular school and health, with a process of “discussions (…) on the ground” launched from September in parallel with the CNR “to identify needs and build projects”from which will come “a roadmap and costed resources”. These roadmaps must emerge from launched from September, “with which all the stakeholders will be associated”.
At franceinfo, the Elysée does not specify how the CNR would take over these missions or present the results of its reflections, but returns the ball to Matignon. “The president has given impetus, a general direction. It will be up to the Prime Minister and the government to take hold of it, build on this work and make it operational,” we explain.
Why did you choose this name?
This name owes nothing to chance. This is indeed an allusion to the National Resistance Council, whose creation General De Gaulle had entrusted to Jean Moulin in 1942. This council coordinated the various movements of the French interior Resistance during the Second World War. Emmanuel Macron claims the reference. “We live in a comparable time”assures the president, adding that “we are in a historic era which requires a profound change of model”referring to the invasion of Ukraine led by Russia for three months.
This is not the first time that the Head of State has alluded to this period in history. “Since the Covid crisis, he has been very interested in this mythical reference that is the National Council of Resistance”, explains Bruno Cautrès, CNRS researcher at Cevipof and professor at Sciences Po Paris, on franceinfo. He had, on several occasions, compared the health crisis to a “war”. “The Head of State is looking for a strong framework to launch his second term, with the idea of a refoundation, a word that is very important”adds the political scientist.
On the merits, Bruno Cautrès notes the differences between the program of the original CNR and that of Emmanuel Macron. “The Council had a program very inspired by the Communist Party, very left with nationalizations (…). For the moment, the program presented by the Head of State is rather made up of investments in spending for the future: education, hospital (…) quite far from the ideological foundations of the National Council of Resistance .”
How is this instance received by the opposition?
This reference is not appreciated by everyone. Alexis Corbière, deputy La France insoumise, denounced Saturday on franceinfo “a National Council of Manipulation”. For him, Emmanuel Macron “makes believe that he is going to set up a contraption in which the authoritarian Macron number 1, who has not listened to the French, will this time listen to them”. “The National Council of Resistance has created Social Security, and Mr. Macron wants to destroy it and destroy pension rights”also denounced Catherine Perret, confederal secretary of the CGT in charge of pensions and social protection, on June 3 on franceinfo.
The left is not the only one to be indignant: “There is something indecent in transposing such an era into ours. It’s a rather mediocre political recovery”rebuked François-Xavier Bellamy, MEP Les Républicains, on franceinfo on Saturday.
E. Macron wants to create a “National Refoundation Council” ➡️ “Comparison is not right. No one is fooled. There is something indecent in transposing such an era into our own”, for François-Xavier Bellamy. “That’s a pretty poor political payback.” pic.twitter.com/ixBI09MV28
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) June 4, 2022