French President Emmanuel Macron sought to rally citizens around a plan to save water on Thursday and stressed that protests will not stop reforms, in a nod to both climate change and an unpopular pension bill.
The water-saving plan includes 50 measures, such as fixing leaking pipes, adapting the way farmers and the nuclear industry use water and making water more expensive for those who use it in excess of basic needs.
"In the face of change, there are necessarily constraints, we must explain them, share them and make each and every one aware of their responsibilities," Macron said.
This was the president's first major policy announcement and public outing after weeks focused on the pension bill, which has triggered fierce protests across the country. With the water plan, Macron and his government are looking to move to other topics.
"There are protests, but it does not mean everything must stop," Macron said.
But he was welcomed in Savines-le-Lac in the Alps, where he gave his speech, by groups of protesters angry with the bill, which raises the pension age by two years.
One placard read "Macron resign!" and another "Take your pension, not ours." Local media said two protesters were arrested.
Water is also a contentious topic in France as the worst drought on record last summer sharpens the debate over water resources in the European Union's biggest agricultural producer.
Two men are in a coma after violent clashes on Saturday between protesters and police during an unauthorised demonstration against the construction of a giant water reservoir for farm irrigation in western France.
Farmers say they need large reservoirs to be able to water their crops this summer, while environmental groups say these waste water and are a way for farmers to confiscate a common good.
Before his speech, Macron told reporters that protests would not stop him from adopting new policies.
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