French President Emmanuel Macron says that "this autumn" he will lift a state of emergency implemented in 2015 following a terrorist attack in Paris that killed 130 people.

Macron made the pledge on July 3 during a rare joint session of the French parliament in which he addressed his domestic and international priorities, adding that the government would also bolster security measures to combat Islamic extremism.

"I will re-establish the freedoms of the French people by lifting the state of emergency this autumn, because these freedoms are the precondition of the existence of a strong democracy," he said.

He said that his government would "work to prevent any new attack” and fight extremists “without pity, without regrets, without weakness."

But he also stressed the importance of guaranteeing "full respect for individual liberties."

The state of emergency enacted after the November 2015 Paris nightclub attack has been extended five times. It is expected to be extended again in July by Macron's centrist government while a tough new antiterrorism law is being prepared.

Rights watchdogs have said French authorities are abusing antiterrorism measures to curtail legitimate dissent.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP