Emmanuel Macron assured business leaders including Elon Musk that France would not descend into chaos just hours before . At a private lunch in the Elysee Palace, the French president told Mr Musk and around 40 other senior global executives that the country would remain economically stable and a positive place to invest. The gathering on Thursday was aimed at reassuring blue-chip attendees including the heads of Goldman Sachs, Uber and luxury goods company LVMH, after a snap election called by Mr Macron this summer .
His pledge of stability came before sabotage attacks paralysed France’s high-speed rail network ahead of the high-profile Olympics opening ceremony. According to people who attended the lunch, Mr Macron fielded questions about the French elections, geopolitics, green energy and the economy among other things, for two to three hours. He insisted the snap poll was aimed at giving divided French voters a chance “to express their views” and added that he could work with a viable coalition government.
party as well as parties on the hard Left has been growing. One executive present said: “He said France needs to learn how to run with coalitions and that is no bad thing.” They said Mr Macron, who was seated next to LVMH owner Bernard Arnault and Goldman Sachs boss , also seemed unfazed about working with whichever government emerged from fraught party negotiations and reassured executives that France remained open for business.
The charm offensive was descri.