“The President of the Republic has appointed Mr. Michel BARNIER as Prime Minister. He has tasked him with forming a unified government in the service of the country and the French people,” the press release reads.
This appointment, the same source specifies, “comes after an unprecedented cycle of consultations during which, in accordance with his constitutional duty, the President ensured that the Prime Minister and the future government would meet the conditions to be as stable as possible and give themselves the chance to unite as widely as possible.”
A man of the right, Michel Barnier, who led the Brexit negotiations for the European Union from 2016 to 2020, is thus responsible for forming a new government which should get down to business as quickly as possible to unblocking the unprecedented political situation, especially since major deadlines await the country, in particular the 2025 budget.
A skilled negotiator and a man of consensus, Michel Barnier was a member of the French government on four occasions: Minister of the Environment (1993-1995), Minister of European Affairs (1995-1997), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2004-2005) and finally Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (2007-2009).
Twice a European Commissioner, he was also an MEP in 2009 and 2010, before being entrusted in 2016 with the mission of discussing, on behalf of the European Union, the conditions for the United Kingdom’s exit.
2024-09-23 23:24:36