France’s president has set himself the ambitious task of getting the country back on the road to recovery by stating that he will turn around the economy by 2014.
Speaking in a television interview, Francoise Hollande, who was elected as president on May 6th of this year, referred to the challenge to restore prosperity to France as a battle.
There will be no looking back, he said, in what was a revealing interview, giving himself just under two years to create a “policy for work and competitiveness”.
According to the media, there has been some criticism that in the four months since he was elected to the top job, he has been too slow in making concrete and decisive changes.
“I know where I am going. I will assume all the responsibility and I will talk regularly to the French people,” Mr Hollande said.
Part of his strategy, he explained, is to drastically cut public spending, while increasing taxes on large organisations.
Mr Hollande has also controversially outlined plans to hit high earning professionals with heavy taxes. He has proposed a 75 per cent tax on those earning over €1 million (approximately £800,700) a year.
“I have my responsibilities. I have to set the goal and the rhythm and steps for getting there and I have done so, two years,” the Guardian quoted him as saying.
“It is my country that counts … in Europe and the world. The French are proud and confident; we have to mobilise.”
The task remains challenging, as a total of €30 billion (£24 billion) needs to be saved over the next year.
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