Francois Hollande has warned the European Commission not to “dictate” orders on how France should run its economy after the Brussels executive called for urgent eurozone reforms to avert a “social emergency”, reports The Daily Telegraph.
The French president was critical after the commission, which has new European Union powers to enforce reforms in the eurozone, demanded France enact far-reaching overhauls to its employment laws and pensions.
“The European Commission cannot dictate to us what we have to do. It can simply say that France must balance its public accounts,” he said.
“As far as structural reforms are concerned, especially pension reforms, it is up to us, and us alone, to say which is the best path to attain this objective.”
José Manuel Barroso, the commission’s president, urged urgent changes to eurozone countries such as France to head off a looming social catastrophe caused by surging unemployment and rising inequality.
“The social emergency in many parts of Europe and the increasing level of inequalities in some regions add to the pressing need for reforms,” he said.
Read more of this report from The Daily Telegraph.