'France is back' Macron vows French success with a closer Europe in Davos

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Speaking at Davos today the French President said: “Those in Europe who don't want to move forward should not block those that are ambitious.”

Adding that be believes France cannot continue to have success with European success, and he hopes to work with Angela Merkel towards this vision.

He said: “We need more ambition to have a more united Europe.”

The President also made a “call to all and every one of us” to push back again the challenge to globalisation.

He told the crowd: “If we want to avoid this fragmentation of the world, we need a stronger Europe. It’s absolutely key.”

Mr Macron plans to make France “a nation of entrepreneurs” by introducing tax reforms and other reforms aimed at fostering more innovation.

He wants to reduce red tape, mentioned that Fracne had been over regulated for many years. 

Adding: “In France, it was forbidden to fail and forbidden to succeed. Now it should be more easy to fail, to take risk.” 

He also argued that the world should cast off its obsession with economic growth, which he said is “not an end in itself”. 

The pursuit of growth has helped fuel opposition to globalisation, he said.

He pinned nationalist populism on unemployment and the projection of isolation as an easy solution to problems for those “who have been forgotten and left behind”.

The French President was speaking after a host of other world leaders also defended globalism, in a rebuke to US President Trump.

Despite wooing executives including Google Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook Inc. COO Sheryl Sandberg at the Palace of Versailles this week, he had a message for the global elite - to

invest, share and protect.

"France is back."- @EmmanuelMacron #wef18 pic.twitter.com/7cbtUAwGtf

He called on executives to act responsibly and to focus on the common good, social cohesion, health, education, climate and the fight against inequalities.

He added that contemporary capitalism has “become a capitalism of superstars” rather than sharing rewards.

He called on fellow European nations to invest a lot more in their domestic education systems to make sure that people kept abreast of new developments on the labour markets. 

He also he also called for greater commitment to gender equality and further investment in education in Africa. 

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