French President Emmanuel Macron attends the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France, July 14, 2022. France on Thursday held its annual Bastille Day celebrations with a traditional military parade. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
The French government is proposing to continue the energy tariff shield that caps the increase of energy prices in France until the end of the year, said President Emmanuel Macron.
PARIS, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The French need to rein in their energy consumption in order to prepare for likely shortages, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday in an interview for the national day.
Macron also spoke about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, purchasing power, retirement and the COVID-19 situation in the country.
He said France will continue to support Ukraine and the French people must be "prepared" as the conflict will last.
"We need to prepare ourselves for a scenario where we have to completely manage without Russian gas," said the French President.
Meanwhile, he said France is seeking to boost energy supplies by looking for gas "elsewhere", including Algeria, the United States, Qatar and Norway.
Fuel prices are displayed at a gas station in Paris, France, March 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
Macron also confirmed that his country would continue to invest in nuclear energy, "a sustainable solution both for France and for other countries."
His government is proposing to continue the energy tariff shield that caps the increase of energy prices in France until the end of the year, said Macron.
He also called for concerted efforts from the European countries to stabilize electricity prices.
Speaking of retirement, Macron said his country must "progressively raise the retirement age to 65 by the 2030s". By making the population work longer, France will reduce its unemployment rate to 5 percent, he added.
France, like many other countries in Europe, is undergoing a seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, he confirmed.
Thursday also sees a military parade on the Champs-Elysee Avenue, a time-honored tradition in France.
A supermoon is seen in the sky in Paris, France, on July 13, 2022. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)■