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French press review 14 March 2016

France's controversial labour law reform is still taking up most of the paper's frontpages this morning. La Croix however decided to let Syrian refugees share their stories with the public. All that, and more, in today's French press review.

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Le Figaro

We start with Le Figaro this morning, headlining, again, on the controversial labour law reform. That's because President François Hollande is expected to announce a 2.0 version of the reform later today.

After last week's strike, the government is scared to be the cause of a large movement of protests across France explains the right-wing paper.

That's why Hollande will announce measures aimed at the left and the unions - the project was deemed too liberal by a large part of Hollande's own Socialist majority. We don't know what will be annouced exactly, but Le Figaro is convinced that the government will backtrack on most of it.

An editorial of the paper even calls Hollande's work "amateurish".

"By failing to follow a clear course of action and to assume its choices, he became the hostage of his interlocutors and therefore the main culprit of his failures. Thus the reform of labor law, which started as lucid, is likely to disappoint" it says.

L'Humanite

Communist daily L'Humanité also headlines on the reform. The main idea of the reform was to make the labour market more flexible, in part by making it easier for companies to fire employees.

The daily is explaining that other European countries that have adopted similar reforms aren't doing so good, despite what some are saying. Take Germany for example, it's true that the unemployment has gone down to 5% -compared to France's 10%- but at what cost?

The reforms taken there mean insecurity for 40% of the population and have created "one of the most unequal societies in Europe".

Another country we should be looking at is Spain, says L'Huma.

Job insecurity is also high there explains the paper - since 2007, 700.000 spaniards have left the country because of the lack of jobs. A sign, argues the paper, that the job market reform didn't change anything.

La Croix

La Croix is talking about Syria this morning.That's because the Syrian Peace talks are set to restart later today. To mark the occasion, the Catholic daily has decided to publish the testimonies of several refugees.

There's Bassem, a 31 year old refugee now staying in Paris, who says "he feels free in France". "I'm being asked if I'll return to Syria when the war is over. I'm asking myself the same question" he says.

There's also Nour, 27, who was on the side of the rebels before the start of the war.

He shares the incredible story of how he arrived in Germany, where he teaches English now ."Germans opened their arms to me, I would have never dreamt to live in this country" he writes. "My future is here, and in Syria. I can't forget my country" he concludes.

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