Macron delivers traditional end of year address

French President Emmanuel Macron delivered “a message of unity and trust” to the French people on Saturday in his traditional end of year address. Macron praised his government and the public for weathering unprecedented crises this year from the virus pandemic as well as energy prices and household incomes.

France has one of the lowest inflation rates of the European Union.The coming year bodes to be tough for Macron, not least because of a controversial pension reform he plans to implement in 2023 to raise the retirement age. It was a keystone of election manifesto in 2017.