French PM outlines policies on national priorities
FRENCH Prime Minister Michel Barnier delivered a comprehensive one-and-a-half-hour speech Tuesday in the National Assembly, detailing his government’s key priorities including public deficit reduction, immigration reform, and retirement policies.
Barnier set ambitious target for France’s public deficit, aiming to bring it down to five per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 from this year’s six per cent, and further down to three per cent in 2029.
To achieve the goal, Barnier pledged to reduce public spending and introduce a more “effective” public spending scheme. He also called for an additional tax effort, under which large and very large companies that make significant profits should contribute more “without compromising the competitiveness” of France.
The wealthiest French people will also be targeted for an “exceptional contribution,” he added. Following the murder of a young student by an illegal immigrant who was supposed to be deported from France, Barnier acknowledged in the National Assembly that France’s migration and integration policies are no longer managed “in a satisfactory way”. — Xinhua
