Paris has undergone an astonishing revival. Global businessmen, financiers and techies casually drop into conversation that they are spending more time in the City of Lights. Wall Street banks have expanded their offices there; venture capitalists are signing more cheques for French startups. An annual investment summit, held in May at the Palace of Versailles, has become a fixture in chief executives’ calendars.
The renaissance is part of Mr Macron’s ambition to make France more innovative and business-friendly. But the project is now in danger. After his centrist party suffered a drubbing in the elections to the European Parliament, Mr Macron called a snap national parliamentary election, the first round of which is due to be held on June 30th. Hard-right and hard-left parties are polling well ahead of Mr Macron’s group.