Macron’s speech Tuesday at 8 p.m.: Covid, health pass and pensions on the menu – The HuffPost

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POLITICS – As if he missed it. Four months later his last speech, July 12, 2021, Emmanuel Macron will speak this Tuesday, November 9, at 8 p.m., from the Elysee Palace.

A format reminiscent of those used in recent months to punctuate the Covid-19 and call on the French either to be vigilant, or to respect the new measures, or to prevent a relaxation.

What will Emmanuel Macron say this time and why this televised intervention? According to the Élysée, contacted on November 8, it is a question of “taking stock of the health situation and the subject of transformation and reforms”. On the form, we do not yet know if the intervention of the Head of State will be live or recorded. “It can last between 5 and 25 minutes, nobody knows anything about it at this stage,” hisses a regular at the Château. A health defense council is scheduled for Tuesday morning to record and finalize the last decisions that will be taken.

While Parliament has just adopted the extension of the health pass until July 31, 2022, spanning the presidential election and despite criticism, the country is not ready to come out of “health vigilance”, named after law Project in question.

Castex warns of “epidemic resumption”

“Vigilance” will also be one of the expressions used by the Head of State on Tuesday evening. “Vigilance and confidence in the French will be the two key words”, we already warn at the Elysee where it is estimated that the simple fact that the President of the Republic speaks reminds everyone that the crisis is not yet completely behind us.

WHO on November 4 called Europe “epicenter of the epidemic”, Going so far as to fear“ half a million additional deaths ”on the continent. In France, even if the vaccination figures are high (75% of the population doubly vaccinated, knowing that those under 12 do not have access to serum), the situation is similar to an “epidemic resumption”, according to the words of Jean Castex, November 5.

39 departments have reinstated the wearing of masks at school after the All Saints holidays on November 8, because “the incidence rate has unfortunately stabilized above 50 per 100,000 inhabitants”, commented Gabriel Attal last week, at the end of the Council of Ministers.

The health pass subject to a booster dose?

Among the themes addressed by Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, no doubt the reminder of the importance of barrier gestures and the call for vaccination for those who have not yet done so as well as the subject of the booster dose. People over 65 as well as those with comorbidities have access to it and if the announcement of a presidential intervention has caused a meeting records, on November 3, there were still about 5 million people eligible for this unvaccinated meeting. Will the health pass be subject to this booster dose? For whom and when? The president should answer these questions.

But it will also be a question of the progress of economic and social reforms for the few remaining months of the five-year term. On July 12, the president announced a “commitment income” for unemployed youth. Since then, this device has been revised downwards, corn unveiled on November 2. The president could bring it up.

The Head of State should also talk about the economic recovery and give an update on the recovery plan and its objective entitled “France 2030”Which aims to make investments of 30 billion euros by this deadline. While the head of state is not yet officially a candidate for re-election, the economic results and this projection towards France for the next few years also allow him to campaign for a second term without saying so.

What about the pension reform?

Finally, a highly anticipated subject: that of pensions. After a proper burial of the reform that was to pass with article 49-3 at the start of the Covid-19 crisis in March 2020, the President of the Republic thanked his Prime Minister at the time Édouard Philippe a few months more late. The latter carried a parametric reform (balanced on the budgetary plan) which caused strong tensions in the country and with the Elysee.

Since then, the President of the Republic has maintained the suspense until part of the veil of his intentions was lifted during his speech on July 12. “We will have to initiate, as soon as the sanitary conditions are met, the pension reform”, he warned. “I will not launch this reform as long as the epidemic is not under control and the recovery is assured,” he added. The economic recovery seems to be at the rendezvous, the epidemic, it is on the rise. Will the Head of State consider that “the sanitary conditions are met” to carry it out? He must in any case talk about this issue on Tuesday, according to his entourage.

The subject is explosive and Parliament is running out of time before the cutoff for the presidential election on February 28. The indicators other than health therefore plead for a postponement after the presidential campaign, but we will see what the President of the Republic will say who should in any case get rid of the uncertainties around this subject in order to launch, if he wishes, serenely his candidacy.

The HuffPost will make you experience this intervention from 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 9, live on its website.

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