Macron backs EU-wide pay cap for CEOs in nod to left-wing voters

French President Emmanuel Macron addresses workers at a wind turbines factory in Le Havre, western France, on April 14, 2022. © Michel Euler, AP

French President Emmanuel Macron and his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen on Friday waded into a heated row about a 19-million-euro pay package given to the head of carmaker Stellantis as top corporate salaries bounced to the forefront of the French election campaign.

Macron, who faces Le Pen in the second round of France's presidential election on April 24, told Franceinfo radio that he was in favour of an EU-wide ceiling for top executives’ pay, describing the Stellantis payout as “shocking and excessive”.