The President of the Republic advocated on Monday June 19 an economic and social model based on the” innovation “ and the “industrial strategy” in order to achieve ecological sobriety ” reasonable “, “transparent” And “non-punitive”against a model where it would be necessary “forgo growth”.
“Well-organized sobriety, if I may say ‘non-punitive’, understood by all, shared by all, reasonable, which makes everyone make an effort, avoid what is useless and which makes it possible to reduce emissions , she is good “declared the Head of State during a visit to the Air Show in Le Bourget (Seine-Saint-Denis).
“The one that consists of saying ‘we have to stop everything’, in a way, and ‘we have to give up growth’, I don’t think it’s reasonable”he added, defending the “wealth creation” which allow to “finance the innovation you need to decarbonize”.
“We who are already in a current account deficit, how do you expect us to finance our social model if we are no longer creating wealth? »he questioned, anxious not to “asking people to choose between a demanding social model and the climate”. “You have to do both, at the same time too. »
Controversy over “the end of abundance”
The President of the Republic recalled his remarks of last summer, when he had, in a controversial formula, mentioned “the end of abundance”to broaden his point.
“Common sense allows a lot of sobriety”he said, citing the “reflexes” and the “civility” who make us ” turn off the light “ when leaving a room or not heating a place when you are not there “not permanently”. “The less we give people the feeling that we are forcing their lives, because it is already difficult enough, the more we have their support”insisted Emmanuel Macron.
“The sobriety in which I believe is rather that (…) which is based on a form of common sense, on the transparency of the information available to us, on an awareness that our resources have become scarcer. » “If we do it intelligently, with common sense, there is no need for recommendations from the State because I don’t want to live in a country where the State tells you what you should do every second “he said again.
In mid-May, Emmanuel Macron sparked a controversy by believing that it was no longer necessary ” add “ of environmental standards after the application of the European Union’s Green Deal, advocating for a “stability” in the matter. A ” break “ which had been very strongly criticized, for example by ecologists.