The fresh Prime Minister of France was Michel Barnier, a longtime Republican politician, late a supporter of president Emmanuel Macron. In his political career, he was referred to as a "progressive rightist", a associate of the Masonic Lodge.
Michel Barnier was appointed fresh Prime Minister of France. What is worth knowing about this 73-year-old politician, the oldest prime minister in the past of the V Republic? He came from Sabaudia, and had a political career since 1973 in successive “gaullist” parties, yet landing in the Republican Party. He has considerable experience, has been a several-time minister (environment, European affairs, abroad affairs, agriculture and food), twice European Commissioner (regional policy, and later interior marketplace and financial services), Vice-President of the European Commission, and after 2016, a major negotiator of the European Union liable for the "divorce" with Britain and negotiations on the brexit. French media indicate that he did a “black job” here for Donald Tusk, who did not deal with this problem.
Michel Jean Barnier is the boy of Jean Barnier, head of a tiny industrial company from Sabaudia and a well-known local free-muralist. His parent was Denise Durand, a ‘practical Catholic’ but powerfully left-wing Catholic. In January 1982, Michel Barnier married lawyer Isabelle Altmayer, great-granddaughter of General Victor Altmayer and granddaughter, besides General René Altmayer. The couple has 3 children. The oldest, Nicolas Barnier, deals with politics and was Parliamentary associate of Grégory Besson-Moreau, a Macron MP – La République en Marche.
Eurocrat and "progressive right-winger"
Michel Barnier in 1978, at the age of 27, became the youngest MP in the National Assembly. Interestingly, in 1981 he broke organization discipline and voted to abolish the death penalty, but he besides voted against the bill providing for the refund of abortion. He got to know himself as a negotiator. He was, among others, the head of the French delegation for the negotiations of the Amsterdam Treaty. He knows the EU's scene well and is 1 of the designers of its direction of development. He was besides a associate of the Ministry of abroad Affairs and a associate of the State Council. In 2015, EC Head Jean-Claude Juncker appointed Michel Barnier as the European Commission's peculiar advisor on defence and safety policy, and in 2016 delegated a brexit to negotiations with Britain.
Barnier is simply a centre-right Republican politician, but rather close to Macron's camp. In 2019, the presidential organization “La République en Marche” appointed Michel Barnier to take the position of president of the European Commission. Eventually, however, a German candidate, Ursula von der Leyen, was appointed.
Elements of the programme
Barnier had presidential ambitions a fewer years ago. In his statements, he advocated, among others, the introduction of a moratorium on immigration into the European Union for a period of 3 to 5 years, with the exception of students and asylum seekers. He returned to the subject of halting migration respective times and claimed that if this phenomenon is not contained, the next brexity would appear. He advocated ending the mass and cyclical regulation of the law of illegal migrants, limiting the phenomenon of "family reunification" and hosting abroad students. He besides advocated the ban on wearing muslim costumes in public spaces and universities.
Barnier was besides in favour of France's "legal integrity" towards Brussels and its "protection" against the judgments of the European Court of Justice and the ECTP. As regards economical issues, he proposed "reducing taxes for companies producing in France", lending support to strategical sectors, lowering premiums from the lowest wages, or abolishing any first-job fees for 3 years. He was besides in favour of raising the statutory retirement age from 62 to 65 or extending the weekly working time. He besides wanted to limit the unconditional allocation of "social". This gave him the opinion of an "economic liberal".
Flirt with Macron has lasted for years
Barnier is besides a associate of the free-meal lodge. Its “right”ness is “progressive” on many issues. In the presidential election, he stated that in the II circular he would vote for Emmanuel Macron, alternatively than Marine Le Pen, due to the fact that he “does not admit himself in the demands of the far right”. He was besides a critic of the cooperation of any of his organization with the National Unity. His flirtation with Macron's camp has been going on for respective years and this is partially the answer to the question – why Emmanuel Macron chose Michel Barnier as Prime Minister. He is simply a convenient and predictable candidate for the President, pro-EU, "right", but within the limits of "progressive republicanism", a good negotiator and diplomat, a technocrat in economical views close to the current President.
Michel Barnier meets many of the criteria that Macron has set. He will attract to the coalition with the Republican organization presidential camp, due to his age, there is no presidential ambition for the year 2027, he will be heavy dependent on Macron, possibly he will guarantee the “neutrality” of the right and let the protests of the left that even wants Macron impeachment to be avoided.
Now France is waiting to make political puzzles
The fresh People's Front (NFP), focusing La France insoumise (LFI), communists, environmentalists and socialists has 193 mandates. Barnier can number on the presidential majority (Together for the Republic, Modem and Horizons) and its 166 parliamentarians. The National Unity (RN) and its allies from the Repulican group Eric Ciotti have 142 deputies. The Republican Right Group, from which Barnier comes, brings together 47 parliamentarians. There is besides a group of Freedom, Independent, Overseas and Territories (21 mandates) and 8 non-attached Members. The blocks of this puzzle will be moved in different directions, but the current Prime Minister bears the name “Negotiator” over the Seine.
Arithmetics shows difficulties, but it may be decisive to abstain from voting against the Prime Minister of the National Unity. Marine Le Pen rather enigmatically stated that "it seems that Michel Barnier meets at least the first criterion we asked for, that is, a individual who respects different political forces and can talk at the National Unity, which is the largest group of the National Assembly."
Will the French trust him?
The fresh government must besides be persuaded by the public, and Barnier's launch ceiling is suspended low. According to a CSA poll for CNews, Europe 1 and JDD, as many as 57% of the French have no assurance in Michel Barnier as Prime Minister and do not believe in the success of his mission. For comparison, erstwhile Élisabeth Borne was established, she had 53% assurance and the outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had 48% affirmative opinions. Distrust is peculiarly advanced among young people. Barnier does not trust as many as 75% of respondents in the group of 18-24 years. For this he trusts 50% of people aged 50 and over, and among people aged 65 and more, the percent increases to 56%. The highest degree of distrust is besides among left (78%) and right (62%) sympathizers. However, a large number of French people believe that technocrat governments will be much better for France than the reasonably insane economical and social ideas of the People's Front candidates. I don't think there'll be a breakthrough in France's abroad policy. However, for example, it welcomes the fresh Prime Minister's realism to halt mass immigration into Europe.
Bogdan Dobosh
