Having been very much in the background since his decision to dissolve the Assembly, which plunged France into a political crisis, Emmanuel Macron will return to the forefront for the Olympic Games, which he intends to make a “French source of pride” despite everything.
With seven days to go before the opening ceremony, the Élysée announced on Friday a series of presidential meetings around the Paris Olympics (July 26 – August 11) throughout next week.
Visit to the Olympic Village with the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach and reception of foreign journalists covering the event at the Élysée on Monday, Sport and Sustainable Development Summit on Thursday, reception of the 110 heads of state and government expected at the ceremony on Friday…
The president, who wanted to make the Olympic Games a great moment of “French pride” and to relaunch his five-year term on this occasion, intends to maintain this ambition even if the dissolution of the Assembly has thwarted his plans.
“These Games will be a moment of unity and national communion, but also of international communion,” assured the presidency.
” To reassure “
The legislative elections did not produce a clear majority in the Assembly and discussions to create one are likely to continue during the Olympic Games and beyond.
While waiting to see more clearly, the government of Gabriel Attal, which has resigned, is dealing with current affairs.
However, in the eyes of the Élysée, there is no question of the major political unpacking currently underway to find a way out of the crisis colliding with the world’s leading sporting event.
“All political leaders, regardless of their affiliation, have the same interest and the same desire for France to shine,” says a presidential advisor. “The two will exist in parallel, without any difficulty,” according to him.
Faced with the prevailing uncertainty, Emmanuel Macron will nevertheless receive the heads of major international groups present for the Games, in order to “reassure” them, over lunch on Thursday.
He will “explain to them the choices he made, including the dissolution” and “invite them to continue to invest in our country,” explained an advisor to the head of state.
“For foreign investment, what matters is the policy that has been implemented of continuity over time, of stability, of providing certainty,” she stressed.
And, according to the Élysée, it is about “putting France at the centre of the radar and making it an ever more attractive country”, in line with the tax and employment policy initiated by the Head of State since 2017.
The CEOs of ArcelorMittal, Samsung, Tesla, Alibaba and Coca-Cola will be present.
“French spirit”
The Olympic Games will also be an opportunity to “promote the French spirit throughout the world”, from the opening ceremony on the Seine to the organisation of events in “iconic sites” such as the Palace of Versailles or the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
The summit, which will bring together around fifty heads of state and international organisations on Thursday at the Louvre, will emphasise “the importance of sport as a vector of progress”, the Élysée continued.
As millions of visitors are expected in the capital, the president will inaugurate the “Maison de l’Élysée” on Tuesday, a space close to the Palace which will allow visitors to discover “the history and heritage of the presidency, but also its daily life and behind the scenes.”
Finally, the head of state still intends to swim in the Seine as he promised, but “not necessarily” before the Olympic Games, the presidency indicated.
He has repeatedly assured that he would do so to highlight the significant decontamination work that has been carried out and to reassure people about the quality of the water.
But he never set a date, and did not join the swim of his Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra on July 13, nor that of the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo on the 17th.