Overview

• President Emmanuel Macron used a three-hour TF1 broadcast to defend his record and outline plans for the remainder of his term, including a potential multi-question referendum on social and economic reforms.
• Macron proposed holding the referendum on a single day later this year, with possible topics including assisted dying, youth screen use, and public finance reforms, while ruling out immigration as a subject.
• He reaffirmed France's support for Ukraine, emphasizing the need to avoid escalating the conflict into a global war, and called for a ceasefire to enable negotiations.
• Macron announced France's readiness to discuss deploying nuclear-armed warplanes in allied European countries, mirroring U.S. practices, with further details to follow in coming months.
• Despite the high-profile outreach effort, Macron faced criticism over his limited domestic political leverage, stemming from his party's minority status in parliament after last year's snap elections.