ASSESSMENTS
The Yellow Vests Set Paris on a Delicate Path to Reform
Mar 7, 2019 | 10:00 GMT

A yellow vest protester at the Eiffel Tower on Feb. 9, 2019, in Paris. To some extent, French President Emmanuel Macron's reaction to the yellow vests has taken the sting out of the protest crisis.
(ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP/Getty Images)
Highlights
- In the coming months, Paris will seek a balance between pushing ahead with its reform agenda and maintaining a lid on more extreme social unrest.
- As a result, the French government is likely to scale down or postpone some of its original plans.
- Slowing economic growth and a worsening deficit will reduce the room for Paris to honor its promises to lower taxes, while circumstances might also force the government to introduce unpopular spending cuts.
- While the French government has flirted with the idea of a referendum on reforms, it would only be a last-resort decision, considering the high risks associated with holding a vote at a time of popular discontent.
Subscribe Now
SubscribeAlready have an account?