delay

Emmanuel Macron has announced a delay to the expected announcement this month of his reform of the retirement age to bring it to 64 or 65, up from 62, citing the need to give more opportunity for discussions, but which critics say is down to delaying tactics to avoid unrest over the immediate winter period. 

After days of tough talking which cast doubt over France's agreement to British Prime Minister Theresa May's request for an extension of the Brexit deadline due this Friday, an official in French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said Tuesday that France was ready to accept a new delay.

British Prime Minister Theresa May flew to Paris from Berlin on Tuesday, having earlier met German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in a bid to convince the two leaders to grant a delay for the UK withdrawal from the European Union which is currently on a deadline for Friday.

French and German officials have made comments suggesting they are open to agreeing a delay to the UK's withdrawal from the European Union due on March 29th, as Prime Minsiter Theresa May prepares to return to parliament with a revised Brexit deal after surviving a 'no confidence' vote by MPs on Tuesday evening.

French tility giant EDF has dismissed a TV report that it has a secret plan to delay reducing the share of nuclear power in France's energy mix to 50% by 2025, as required by a law passed two years ago, to 2050 instead, describing the suggestion as "malicious rumours". 

In a third reprieve obtained by Paris, the European Commission has allowed France until 2017 to bring its public deficit to under 3% of GDP.