There is a feeling of hope in Europe since the election of incoming French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the boss of advertising giant, Publicis Groupe.
Macron’s campaign platform upon which he was elected featured a fight for Europe which is central to the confidence that is returning to the region, Maurice Levy told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Jordan on Saturday.
“He has not accepted any concession or any compromise with the populists or with the extremists and this is something which is not only refreshing but very good for the future of Europe,” Levy declared.
Yet, the long-time advertising chief was more circumspect on France’s economic situation, saying that growth in the country was lagging and would need labor and tax reforms to be implemented before it is restored to health.
Levy predicts a swift timeline for such changes, looking to July as the potential month for such acts being passed.
“We believe that he will address all of these issues pretty fast and that France will be able to take off again,” he opined.
Looking more broadly at discontent affecting the continent and the neighboring Middle Eastern region, the executive who has forged a stellar career from crafting marketable stories cautions that it is the inability of European authorities to connect with the European people that has led to such instability within countries dealing with disaffected youths.
“They are attracted by Daesh because they have no jobs…Because they believe that the values which are defended by Daesh are more interesting than the values that they see when there is corruption and a lot of issues in some governments and we need to be clean and to have values and virtues which allow the government to speak up,” he observed.
Asserting that ongoing discrepancies and differences between messages directed at younger generations would just exacerbate tensions within countries, Levy reiterated his warning over a failure by regional leaders to deliver a consistent and inspiring message.
“It is extremely difficult to be credible with the storytelling that will bring the youth back to where we want them to be,” he concluded.
Source: CNBC
