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"I do not believe for a moment that the sincere anger" that triggered the unrest has definitely disappeared, said Mr. Macron by mingling with the local population in front of his summer residence in Bormes-les-Mimosas, a city South of France. "The social crisis is not over yet," he insisted. "I think we have been able to handle some of the anger, but we still have a lot to do because these things take time," he continued, adding "that there is not always an immediate response to popular anger. "
Rejecting the label "crisis," the 41-year-old centrist said France had long suffered from "deep problems related to social and economic injustice" and that these problems "had created fears" .
The government's goal is not to "dispel these fears", but to "give citizens a new perspective," he said, promising to implement Act II of its program of reforms "with determination and humility".
Macron's reform program has lagged behind after months of rebuilding political capital and trying to quell the sometimes violent protests.
Weekly demonstrations began in mid-November against rising fuel prices, but quickly turned into a working-clbad revolt against the Macron government, widely viewed as disconnected from ordinary citizens and the wealthy.
Seeking to restore his image as an arrogant leader and increase his popularity, Mr. Macron decided to focus his policy on maintaining the economy rather than supporting the incomes of the most disadvantaged workers and pensioners, with a set of concessions emergency plan representing more than 10 billion euros last December.
In April, he promised to reduce the income tax by 5 billion euros next year. His approval ratings are just starting to rise from the lows reached at the height of the rebellion.
The number of yellow vests participating in the weekly events has increased from 300,000 in November to a few hundred.
The next thing to do on Macron's list of tasks is the overhaul of the country's pension and unemployment benefit systems, two explosive issues that could revive popular anger.
His centrist government is committed to encouraging the French to stay longer at work and to make the pension system more equitable.
Regarding unemployment benefits, Mr Macron's team has promised to cut benefits for high-income earners who lose their jobs. He also stated that he would terminate a system allowing some former employees to enjoy benefits exceeding their monthly salary.
Macron said the yellow jacket crisis erupted just as his government was going through a "death valley" phase: when the first reforms were unveiled, they had a chance to deliver concrete results or to show their benefits.
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