France

Ahead of a landmark visit to Athens on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron has told Kathimerini that he is optimistic about Greece's future as a country for investments and entrepreneurship and underlined his support for the country as an ally and a member of the eurozone.

French President Emmanuel Macron accused journalists of being too interested in themselves and inadequate to the country after reporters from the national public television, France 2, asked him questions about his restrained style of communication, France's press reported.

More than 2,000 police officers are to be deployed across Athens for a scheduled visit this week by the French President Emmanuel Macron that the government is keen to use to exploit its narrative that Greece is turning a corner. 

More than 2,000 police officers are to be deployed across Athens for a scheduled visit this week that the government is keen to use to exploit its narrative that Greece is turning a corner. 

Greek authorities have been beefing up security, in cooperation with their French counterparts, ahead of Macron's two-day visit which is scheduled to begin on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron's gamble is very important for both France and Europe. If the French leader is successful in imposing painful but necessary reforms in his country, he will be able to play a key role in the shaping of a new European monetary fund and revive France's traditional leadership role in the European Union.

President Emmanuel Macron's government has begun its drive to overhaul France's rigid labour laws, vowing to "free up the energy of the workforce".

The reforms aim to make it easier for bosses to hire and fire.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said they were ambitious, balanced and fair but it was natural that not everyone would support the changes.

Throughout the history of humanity, there has been a disaccord between artists and politicians. This is in their nature. The criticism of artists carries the seeds of ideas towards our future.

It has always been the names of the artists that stand out in a country's history.

Yesterday Paris hosted a mini-summit to discuss Europe's most important current problem, the migrant issue. Four continental powers - France, Germany, Italy and Spain - were the European participants. France, hosting the summit, also invited the leaders of Chad, Niger and Libya to discuss the matter.

His wife Brigitte lamented her wrinkles compared with his "freshness" over the breakfast table, but Emmanuel Macron's youthful looks come at a price: €26,000 in three months.

Europe has very high expectations of Emmanuel Macron's presidency in France, because the bloc is in desperate need of a counterbalance to Germany's hegemony.

But, in order for France to play a leading role in Europe, to become a policy leader, it needs to implement bold reforms that will improve its economy and make it more competitive.