Macron invited by relatives to réquilibrer its policy

PARIS (Reuters) – Three economists who contributed to the drafting of the economic part of the presidential program of Emmanuel Macron called the head of State to “enter the debate on inequality,” in order to “restore the readability (its) project”, in a confidential memorandum revealed Saturday by The World.

“Important measures have been implemented or are in the Parliament”, keep these three close to the president of the Republic in this document, but “the theme of the fight against inequality of access, which was constitutive of the political identity of the candidate is concealed”, complain they.

To Philippe Aghion, professor at the Collège de France, Philippe Martin, who has presided since January the economic analysis Council (CAE), an organization attached to the Prime minister, and Jean Pisani-Ferry, a close advisor Emmanuel Macron during the presidential campaign, “the risk is that the ambition of transforming the initial to be folded on a classic program of structural reforms in favour of the most affluent”.

Through this document, which, according to The World, was sent on June 4 at the Elysee, these three economists echo the concerns already expressed within the even of the presidential majority, while the opposition continues to describe Emmanuel Macron as the “president of the rich”.

“The ambition emancipatory (education, social mobility, occupational mobility, social protection) of the presidential program to avoid a growing number of citizens, including among the most ardent supporters of 2017”, point to these three relatives of the president of the Republic in this document.

“A lot of the supports of the candidate express the fear of a shift to the right”, do they in highlighting the preponderance of ministers “labelled to the right” in the communication government, citing without quoting the First minister Edouard Philippe, the minister of Economy and Finance Bruno The Mayor and the minister of the Action and of the public Accounts Gérald Darmanin, all three from the ranks of the Republicans.

“The social message is struggling to find a strong voice within the government”, regret-they.

PROJECTS TO COME WILL SERVE AS A TEST

Holding that “the project is not focused” and that “no trace of the thread that links these reforms”, they call Emmanuel Macron to “talk about the issue of inequality, and not to leave this debate to his opponents”, in order “to restore the legibility of the project”.

A few weeks of trade-offs expected and potentially explosive on the strategy of the fight against poverty, on the tracks of the economies in the sphere of the State, via the modernisation of public action, and on the background of the preparation of the budget of 2019, the three economists believe that the choice of the executive “will serve as a test”.

“If the effort savings is seen as bearing primarily on the transfers, this will confirm the image of a power indifferent to the social question,” they warned.

According to The World, “it is at the request of Emmanuel Macron himself that MESSRS. Aghion, Martin and Pisani-Ferry have written this note of three pages, entitled ‘Strengthening the dimension of emancipating the governmental action'”.

“This is an informal note which does not answer to any command and that does not hint of the policy of the government, as dozens of other notes received each month”, a-t-on stated to Reuters at the Elysée.

Contacted by Reuters, Jean Pisani-Ferry did not want to comment on the subject of this note.

(Myriam Rivet with Marine Pennetier, edited by Jean-Philippe Lefief)