EU leaders have given France’s new PM Michel Barnier a warm welcome – but the former Brexit negotiator faces tough challenges, and opposition, on the domestic front.
A seasoned member of France’s conservative Republicans (LR) party, Barnier is seen as a steady hand for President Emmanuel Macron, who appointed him after two months of political deadlock.
The 73-year-old’s career spans more than five decades – as an MP and minister with diverse portfolios including finance, agriculture and foreign affairs.
Barnier is unlikely to seek to unravel the president’s pro-business reforms – including lower corporate tax, a loosening of the labour code to make hiring and firing easier, scrapping the wealth tax, and the contested pension reform that upped the legal age of retirement to 64.
But he’s spent more time in Brussels than in France, having twice served as an EU commissioner – first handling regional policy, then the internal market and financial services which involved negotiating the December 2020 signalling Britain’s departure from the EU.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on social media that Barnier "has the interests of Europe and France at heart, as his long experience demonstrates".
Italian premier Georgia Meloni also praised Barnier, calling his political experience “an added value” for European cooperation.
The sentiment in Brussels was one of relief.
Barnier knows the inner workings of the commission like the back of his hand, and can be counted on to press home the importance of getting France’s public deficit down from more than 5 percent of GDP to the EU norm of 3 percent.
Revolving door at French education ministry leaves school reforms in doubt
Rocky waters at home
Barnier’s appointment follows snap parliamentary elections that left France with a hung parliament and a divided political landscape. The left-wing NFP alliance won the most seats, but no party secured a working majority.
France's parliament is now deeply divided, with the NFP – comprising hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), Socialists, Greens and Communists – insisting Macron should accept its pick for premier Lucie Castets.
He has roundly refused and gone for a man from the right.
In his handover, outgoing premier Gabriel Attal acknowledged the "ailing state" of French politics and urged leaders to move past divisions.
Barnier promised "rupture and change," vowing to address the "suffering and sense of abandonment" many people feel.
Charged with forming a “unity government”, he pledged to respect all political forces in the assembly.
While Barnier is backed by his own LR party and Macron's Ensemble group, the left-wing NFP alliance, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon of LFI, is out for a fight.
The main part of the NFP alliance, LFI has slammed Barnier’s nomination and called on supporters to join anti-Macron protests planned for Saturday.
LFI also promised to censure Barnier’s government in parliament, as did the Socialist Party, although the left alone does not have enough seats to topple him.
Much will therefore depend on the far-right National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, which as the single party in the lower house, with 143 seats, finds itself in a strong position.
Paris politics heats up as left pushes for power and impeachment
‘Approved by Marine Le Pen’
The RN gave tentative support to Barnier’s nomination saying it would not immediately try to vote him down.
“Barnier seems at least to meet one of the criteria we’d demanded, which was to have someone who would respect different political forces and be able to speak with the National Rally,” Le Pen told reporters.
But the party made it clear it could withdraw support at any point if its concerns on immigration, security and budget issues were not met.
Barnier's tough stance on immigration during his bid for the 2022 presidential election – calling for a moratorium on arrivals from outside the EU – has drawn criticism from the left, who fear his policies could align with RN interests.
The fact RN had vetoed other possible prime ministers Macron had considered, but not Barnier, has caused concern.
Left-wing daily Liberation led with a photo of Barnier headlined "Michel Barnier in Matignon: Approved by Marine Le Pen".
Appointing Barnier after the RN signalled it would not block him is making the government "dependent on RN goodwill", said Sacha Houlie, an MP formerly with Macron's camp.
"It's now the far right that makes the kings or queens," Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure said on FranceInter radio.
