PARIS: President of France Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said that 2024 will be the year of French pride and hope, as the European nation is set to host Summer Olympic Games.
The year will also witness the re-opening of Notre-Dame cathedral after a devastating fire.
Macron speaking from the Elysee Palace, promised a civic and economic rearmament for the French nation.
The last year marked by wars and crises globally as well as protests over an unpopular pension reform and street violence following the police killing of a teenager at a Paris traffic stop.
Recently, the French government passed a controversial immigrations bill with the backing of the far right, creating divisions within its own ranks.
Macron himself came under criticism earlier this month for his comments supporting film icon Gerard Depardieu, who is charged with rape and currently facing sexual assault claims.
He was also criticized for his handling of the crisis in the Middle East.
Evoking the memory of former European Union leader Jacques Delors, who died on Wednesday, the French president said voters would have a decisive choice to make in June’s European elections.
He said we have to make the choice of a stronger, more sovereign Europe in the light of the legacy of Jacques Delors.
