In a long interview with the online newspaper Big Whale, Macron spoke in very favourable terms about NFTs, Metaverse and Web3 in general.
Summary
Macron’s words on Web3
Emmanuel Macron, newly re-elected president of France, said about the metaverse:
“The metaverse has a huge potential in culture and leisure thanks to its applications in music, concerts, art exhibitions, etc. We cannot consider our cultural policy without this revolution”.
He added:
“France has a unique opportunity to have its way of life – language, heritage, monuments, and cities – exist in the metaverse. Putting these in the metaverse will create a ‘digital historiography’ of France’s collective history”.
These are just some of the statements made by Macron to the French online newspaper focused on blockchain and cryptocurrencies “The Big Whale”, which conducted an exclusive interview with him just days after his presidential victory over Marine Le Pen.
In the lengthy interview, the French president, who had already spoken in very favourable terms about blockchain technology in 2019, explained how France has the resources and talents to become a driver of the development in Europe of this new technological revolution.
In the interview, Macron stated that:
“France has the assets and talents for this. In a world where technological evolution precedes economic domination, it is essential to keep our jobs and our independence. But it is also a social and societal challenge: the pace of technological acceleration is already a major centrifugal power in our societies between those who master the codes of digital technology, AI, quantum, blockchain… and all those who are excluded. And they are many of them. We have to make sure that technology remains at the service of society and progress”.
Macron and the focus on technological innovation
Macron has always been a president with a strong focus on new innovations and technology, and in the aftermath of his first election in 2017 he said he would do everything to help French start-ups grow and develop.
In these five years, as Macron also reiterated during the interview, 26 unicorns have been created compared to 6 in 2017, investment in start-ups has increased fivefold compared to five years ago. Under his presidency, La France Tech was created, a public structure created with the aim of supporting and helping new start-ups to grow.
In the interview, the French president also mentioned the new regulation on digital assets approved in March by the European Parliament under the French presidency, the MiCA. In this regard, he said:
“I also want to mention the recent adoption of the Digital Markets Act under the French Presidency: I believe it is the most important economic regulation text since the beginning of the 20th century. We are reopening the game and allowing new players to emerge by fighting against monopolies. In short, there is still a long way to go but I am very optimistic if we make the appropriate efforts”.
At the same time, he also wanted to make sure that France will be very careful to not introduce any changes in the text that could harm innovation, such as the one aiming to ban the Proof of Work model for cryptocurrencies in Europe, which is considered too energy-intensive. The French President finally said:
“France will pay close attention that the text does not prevent innovation and remains as neutral as possible in terms of technology”.
