FX.co ★ Macron's message to the people of France, mandatory third dose and nuclear reactors

There are five months left until the presidential elections in France, but the current president Emmanuel Macron has not yet confirmed his participation in the April race for the post of head of state. However, if you listen to his fiery speech addressed to his people last Tuesday, the French president still plans to stand for election.

The ambitious national message of Macron, broadcasting from the Elysee Palace on the main French TV channels, concerned the country's economy and health. The president voiced optimistic prospects for the development of economic indicators, but at the same time recalled that the country's recovery could be disrupted by difficulties with hiring for companies, disrupted supply chains and the inflation that follows. One of the problems Macron mentioned is the next wave of coronavirus, which could overwhelm the population of France this winter if they refuse to give themselves a third dose of the vaccine.

The president promised that the government of the country will henceforth approach vaccination with booster versions of vaccines with all rigor, not forgiving its people of self-will. From December 15, revaccination in the country will become a prerequisite for confirming a sanitary pass. All residents of France, including people over 65 years of age, should be vaccinated with booster drugs. Those who for some reason do not want to do this will be deprived of the privileges that they were entitled to after the introduction of the first two doses of vaccines, that is, they will not be able to visit restaurants, bars and cinemas. "Get vaccinated to protect yourself. Get a third vaccination to live normally," Macron said.

However, unlike the United States, where children aged 5 to 11 years have already started to be vaccinated, in France they do not risk doing this yet. But at the same time, wearing protective masks is mandatory in schools.

The president also announced the extension of the system of sanitary passes until the end of July 2022 (before that it was valid until November 15). According to official data, currently about 75% of the French population is fully vaccinated.

Macron's rivals also speak to French citizens, but not everyone has the theme of health and vaccinations as a leitmotif in their appeals. For example, the far-right TV presenter and publicist Eric Zemmour, who may well challenge Emmanuel Macron and outstrip the main rival of Marine Le Pen, avoids vaccination topics in his appeals to the population, and bypasses economic development. He is mainly concerned with the country's security problems and immigration.

In his message to the population, the French president also announced the construction of EPR-type nuclear reactors on the territory of the country in the coming years. This is an important step for France's transition to carbon-free energy production. By the way, before that, the Macron government announced investments in small modular nuclear reactors (MMR) worth around one billion euros.

During his presidential term, Macron has faced many difficulties: the pandemic and its consequences for the economy, the "yellow vests" movement, the strikes on the pension reform plan and the failure in the recent local elections. At the same time, the head of France tightened the conditions for receiving unemployment benefits and abolished the popular wealth tax (conservatives tried to do this before him, but failed). Macron's government has also provided subsidies to support households that have been more affected by high energy prices.