Latest news with #Élysée
El Chorouk
20-07-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
A new book reveals Macron's exploitation of memory in the relationship with Algeria
A new book published in France, titled 'The Poisonous President,' shed light on Emmanuel Macron's attempt to exploit the sensitive memory file with Algeria as a lever in his political project, which he began in 2016, and after only one year, he managed to ascend to the Élysée throne. The book, published by 'Robert Laffont' publishing house, is an 'investigation into the real President Emmanuel Macron,' authored by Étienne Campion. In it, the author introduces the early beginnings of the Élysée Palace master's thinking on dealing with the Algerian file, and at the forefront of its dimensions is the memory dimension, which is considered the most sensitive among all other files. The author says: 'Macron's story with Algeria began in 2016. Where did it come from? What motivated him to focus his efforts on the memory file with Algeria?' The author answers this question by attributing the reason to the turbulent political relationship between Paris and Algeria, which has extended for decades. 'Because the Algerian issue is not considered by the French due to the wounds left by memory and repressed memories.' Étienne Campion believes that the file of France's colonial past in Algeria posed a challenge that all of Macron's predecessors faced, such as Nicolas Sarkozy (2007 / 2012), and François Hollande (2012 / 2017) also did not deal with the file for various reasons. Therefore, Macron tried to embody the desire for reconciliation between Algeria and Paris, crediting the historian Benjamin Stora, Algerian-born (born in Constantine in 1950), for this. According to the book, Benjamin Stora was the first to confirm that 'the issue of France's colonial past in Algeria directly or indirectly affects everyone on both sides: descendants of immigrants, Pieds-Noirs, Harkis, Jews, conscripts… an unimaginable collective memory.' Here, Étienne Campion pointed out that the historian Benjamin Stora met Emmanuel Macron in 2014, and according to the same source, the credit for this goes to Paul Jean-Ortiz, the diplomatic advisor to the former French President, François Hollande, knowing that Jean-Ortiz was an old friend of historian Stora. Despite Jean-Ortiz's death in the same year, the relationship between the historian and the future president of France at the time remained. They met in 2016, and Macron was a prospective presidential candidate. During the meeting, the French president showed an overwhelming desire to tackle this sensitive file, unlike his predecessor François Hollande, who was cautious about taking it too far. Benjamin Stora was not aware of what Macron, the presidential candidate, was thinking, says Étienne Campion, when he visited Algeria in February 2017, where he issued a statement that turned many expectations upside down when he described colonialism as a 'crime against humanity' and acknowledged that 'we must face it and apologize to those against whom we committed these acts.' The author asks: 'Why did he do that? Was it to position himself among progressives? And was it to make a sharp turn to the left?' He answers: 'Benjamin Stora has nothing to do with it, but he believes that his excessive will to act is shown through this initiative. Can this statement lead to anything? Stora, optimistic despite everything, believes that this young president, who, if he addresses him informally, may have the same vision and boldness that previous generations did not have.' The author also spoke about a meeting between Macron and former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in December 2017, during an official visit to Algeria, at his therapeutic residence. The French president tried to get an approach from his Algerian counterpart on the 'Harkis' issue, telling him: 'Mr. President, I am a young president, and I am well aware that I did not live through that period. Isn't this the right time for forgiveness?' However, the former president responded firmly. 'These are traitors… Never.'
Ya Biladi
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Emmanuel Macron seeks tougher measures against alleged «Islamist infiltration»
Emmanuel Macron has vowed to intensify the government's response to what he describes as «Islamist infiltration». During a Defense Council meeting held on Monday, July 7, the French president approved a series of measures targeting associations suspected of promoting Islamist ideology through actions that are legally permissible but considered contrary to republican values, according to Le Monde. Among the new measures, Macron announced plans to extend asset freezes, previously limited to terrorism-related cases, to certain civil society organizations. Additional steps include stricter oversight of donations, penalties for violating the republican values contract, and the confiscation of assets from dissolved groups. The objective, according to the Élysée: to «dissolve more, and dissolve faster». This crackdown follows the submission of a confidential report on the Muslim Brotherhood to the Élysée in May, which described a strategy of «gaining influence from the ground up». Reportedly unsatisfied with his government's initial proposals, Macron has pushed for more «ambitious» actions. «It's a quietly spreading Islamism that's seeking to infiltrate sports, cultural, social, and other associations», said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has been accused of leaking the report to steer the public debate. However, ambiguity remains over the criteria for targeting these associations. «The infiltration operates within the boundaries of legality», a senior official told Le Monde. If implemented, the proposed measures are expected to spark intense debate in an already deeply polarized National Assembly.
Euronews
03-07-2025
- Business
- Euronews
France and Spain join fight to tax luxury air travel for climate funds
France and Spain have joined a coalition of countries pushing to tax private jets and premium class flights to raise money for climate action and sustainable development. The two European nations have joined forces with Kenya, Barbados, Somalia, Benin, Sierra Leone and Antigua and Barbuda. The coalition's goal is 'to increase the number of countries applying taxes on airline tickets, including for luxury travel, and to tax private jets based on best practices,' the French Élysée said in a statement. The initiative was launched on the sidelines of a United Nations development summit in Seville on 30 June. How much money could these taxes raise? A recent study commissioned by the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force estimates that taxing private jet fuel worldwide could generate up to €41 billion annually. Adding levies on first- and business-class tickets could bring in nearly €37 billion more. Combined, the coalition's efforts could unlock over €78 billion per year to support climate resilience and sustainable development projects. The study also suggests that an additional, broader levy on commercial jet fuel could push this total to around €187 billion annually. New sources of finance With many richer countries cutting official development aid for poorer nations, some are looking for new sources of finance, including taxing the most polluting industries. Launched at COP28 in November 2023, the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force was set up to explore new kinds of taxation from polluting sectors that could support developing countries to decarbonise and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Laurence Tubiana, co-lead of the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force Secretariat, said that new levies on premium flyers could 'raise vital funds'. 'In the current context, everybody is pessimistic, saying we cannot do anything. Today's announcement is proof that we can make progress,' Tubiana added. French President Emmanuel Macron said at the summit in Seville that after progress had already been made in the shipping industry, this was a 'huge step forward' for the aviation sector. 'Having Spain (in our premium flyers coalition) is very good news, and we need more and more countries,' he added. 'We need those that benefited from globalisation to contribute more to financing.' Macron urged all possible countries to join this "key" international framework. Why target private jets and premium flights? Aviation accounts for more than 2.5 per cent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, and it remains one of the sectors with the fastest-growing emissions. Private jets are especially polluting. In 2023, they emitted an estimated 19.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, according to a study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) - more than all flights departing London Heathrow that year. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, premium travel has surged. Emissions from private aviation rose by 46 per cent between 2019 and 2023. Premium cabins, including first and business class, have larger seats and more legroom, which means fewer passengers share the emissions from each flight. This drives up the per-passenger carbon footprint dramatically. As a result, first and business class travellers produce up to 3 to 4 times more CO2 per kilometre than those flying economy. 'Flying is the most elite and polluting form of travel, so this is an important step towards ensuring that the binge users of this undertaxed sector are made to pay their fair share,' says Rebecca Newsom, global political lead for Greenpeace International's Stop Drilling Start Paying campaign. A global survey by Greenpeace and Oxfam found that three out of four people support extra taxes on premium flyers because of their outsized impact on the climate.
Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Spain and France go after mega-rich in huge changes to air travel rules
France and Spain are among a group of countries that have pledged to tax premium flying and private jets. In a bid to raise funds for climate action and sustainable development, the European nations along with Kenya and Barbados have committed to upping the levy. It is not yet known how much the levy would be, with details of how the mechanism would work expected at the COP30 climate summit this November. However, in a report published on June 19, the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force estimated that these measures could 'generate substantial revenues' of up to €187 billion (£160 billion). Changes in the national legislation of the countries involved is planned as soon as next year, Climate Home News reports. Tensions erupt at UK's most exclusive billionaire's private jet fair The initiative was launched at the UN Finance for Development summit in Seville, Spain. Representatives from governments, financial institutions, and civil society are attempting to determine how to channel more money towards efforts to tackle climate change, among other issues. The coalition's goal is 'to increase the number of countries applying taxes on airline tickets, including for luxury travel, and to tax private jets based on best practices,' the French Élysée's said in a statement. Sierra Leone, Benin, Antigua and Barbuda and Somalia, also backed the pledge, which will get technical support from the European Commission, the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force said in a separate statement. Rebecca Newsom of Greenpeace told Reuters that the move was "an important step towards ensuring that the binge users of this undertaxed sector are made to pay their fair share". "Flying is the most elitist and polluting form of travel, so this is an important step toward ensuring heavy users of this undertaxed sector pay their fair share," she said. The coalition on premium flying levies was born out of the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force, which launched in 2023. It has been looking for ways to raise new sources of finance for climate and development from sectors that contribute disproportionately to global carbon emissions, or those that are undertaxed, such as aviation, fossil fuels or financial transactions. Friederike Röder, director of the task force's secretariat, told Climate Home that targeting aviation first is a 'very pragmatic' choice. 'It's something that can be put in place quite quickly, it makes sense economically speaking from a tax justice and climate perspective, and can generate a significant sum,' she said. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the coalition would 'work toward a greater contribution from the aviation sector' to improve 'climate resilience'. Earlier this year, tensions flared at an ultra-luxury private jet fair when protesters unfurled banners and chanted for the abolition of billionaires. Overall private aviation emissions increased by 46% between 2019-2023, with industry expectations of continued strong growth, according to one Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment study. It also found that most of these small planes spew more heat-trapping carbon dioxide in about two hours of flying than the average person does in about a year. In 2023, roughly a quarter million of the super wealthy, who were worth a total of $31 trillion, emitted 17.2 million tons (15.6 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide flying in private jets. That's about the same amount as the overall yearly emissions of the 67 million people who live in Tanzania. Stefan Gossling, a transportation researcher at the business school of Sweden's Linnaeus University, said the issue wasn't so much the emissions, which remain a small part of those produced globally, but the lack of fairness. 'The damage is done by those with a lot of money and the cost is borne by those with very little money,' Gossling said. A separate report by Oxfam claimed that billionaires emit more carbon pollution in 90 minutes than the average person does in a lifetime.
Local France
01-07-2025
- Business
- Local France
France and Spain lead efforts to tax private jets
The two European nations – along with Kenya, Benin, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Barbados plus Antigua and Barbuda – launched a coalition at a UN conference on development financing in Seville to tighten up taxation of the aviation sector, including the prospect of taxes on private jets and passengers travelling in business or first class. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the coalition would 'work toward a greater contribution from the aviation sector' to improve 'climate resilience'. In a statement, France's Élysée palace confirmed this initiative, specifying that it aims to 'improve the mobilisation of national revenues in developing countries and support international solidarity,' with particular emphasis on adapting to climate change. Advertisement The coalition's goal is 'to increase the number of countries applying taxes on airline tickets, including for luxury travel, and to tax private jets based on best practices,' the Élysée's statement continued, while ensuring 'further progress in countries that already have such levies.' The announcement was welcomed by Greenpeace, which urged 'all countries to join and implement the commitments' made by this 'new solidarity coalition' in time for COP30, which will be held in November in Belem, Brazil. 'Flying is the most elitist and polluting form of travel, so this is an important step toward ensuring heavy users of this undertaxed sector pay their fair share,' insisted Rebecca Newsom, head of Greenpeace's 'Stop Drilling, Start Paying' campaign. At COP28 in 2023, Barbados, France, and Kenya launched a working group, with the support of the European Commission, to consider so-called 'global solidarity' levies on polluting sectors such as fossil fuels and aviation. This group, which has since worked on the introduction of specific taxes on private jets and airline tickets, estimated in a report published on June 19th that these measures could 'generate substantial revenues' of up to €187 billion. France already levies an 'eco tax' on airline tickets , which is charged on a sliding scale with higher rates for first class tickets and private jets.
