Overview
- Facing record-low approval and a fragmented Parliament, Macron mapped three domestic priorities for 2026: a voluntary national service, tighter social‑media rules for youth and end‑of‑life legislation.
- He said end‑of‑life bills will move to the Senate in January before returning to the National Assembly, setting up difficult debates in an upper house led by Les Républicains.
- He highlighted Ukraine and European defense as the strategic focus, with a Paris meeting of the Coalition of Volunteers in early January to finalize security guarantees for Kyiv once a ceasefire is in place.
- He urged government and lawmakers to forge agreements in the first weeks of 2026 to provide the nation with a budget, with the finance bill due back in the Assembly on January 8.
- He vowed to shield upcoming votes from foreign interference and, despite not using it in 2025, has kept a referendum as a possible tool if parliamentary deadlock persists, according to his entourage.