The French government, led by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, won a confidence vote in parliament Wednesday.
HE PROMISED A NEW METHOD FOR THE ECONOMY
Following the poor showing last month by President Emmanuel Macron’s Republic on the Move party in European parliamentary elections, Philippe sought a vote of confidence in parliament.
Prior to the vote, Philippe spoke about the main priorities for the next two years and said “there is still an economic, social, ecological and political emergency” in the country that required the relaunching of the reform drive. Referring to the unemployment rate, he promised a “profound change of method” to guarantee social justice that “means making sure it pays to work”.
He also underlined the importance of the environment and the need for creating an economic model “where energy sobriety, clean transport, healthy eating and recycling are progressing much faster than the growth rate”.
Citing the “Yellow Vests”, he said Macron’s fuel tax reform had triggered the protest movement, which then turned into a rebellion against the president’s leadership.