By Michel Rose

PARIS (Reuters). Emmanuel Macron, a former banker, was elected as President in 2017. His promise not to be of either the left or the right won him a second term. However, he is expected to defeat Marine Le Pen with a slightly smaller margin.

These are his top policy recommendations:

ECONOMY

* Raise the minimum pension age to 65 from 62 and increase the minimum monthly pension to 1,100 euros ($1,187).

* Require 15-20 hours a week of training for welfare benefit recipients

* Cut taxes by 15 billion euros with half for households and the rest for businesses.

* Further loosen labour market rules and reform unemployment insurance to make payments vary according to the state of the economy

* Raise the threshold over which inheritance tax kicks in from 100,000 euros to 150,000 euros

EUROPE, INTERNATIONAL AFAIRS

* Make the European Union more self-sufficient in defence, agriculture, energy and strategic economic sectors

* Strengthen the capacities of national European armies, increase co-ordination between them and create a “common military doctrine”

* Create European industrial champions including a “European metaverse”

* Reform the European electricity market

IMMIGRATION & SECURITY

* Make long-term residence permits conditional on a French exam and employment

* Expel foreigners deemed to be trouble-makers

* Create a rapid-action force to restore order in troubled “banlieues”, economically deprived suburbs.

* Broader scope for on-the-spot-fines for petty crime

ENERGY

* Build six new nuclear reactors and launch studies for another eight, increase solar energy capacity tenfold, build 50 wind farms at sea by mid-century

* Take control of certain energy companies, suggesting that the government would revive stalled plans to buy out minority shareholders in nuclear utility EDF (EPA:)

* Renovate 700,000 homes a year

* Leasing scheme to make electric vehicles more accessible

* Put the next prime minister directly in charge of “green planning” to make France the “first great nation”. Eliminate oil, gas and coal.

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