France’s new govt convenes for first time and sets budget, migrant issues as top priorities

Paris: France’s new government dominated by conservatives and centrists gathered for the first time Monday as Prime Minister Michel Barnier set budget and migrant issues as top priorities.

Barnier convened a meeting early morning with newly appointed ministers ahead of a brief Cabinet session in the afternoon with centrist President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee presidential palace.

The long-awaited list of government members was unveiled Saturday, more than two months after elections that produced a hung parliament and deepened political divisions as France grapples with growing financial and diplomatic challenges.

Macron told government members Monday a “new era” was starting as the political situation is unprecedented in the country and called on them to “stay on the path to compromise,” according to participants in the Cabinet meeting.

Speaking on television on Sunday evening, Barnier acknowledged a key challenge for his government will be the 2025 budget bill to be debated at parliament starting next month.

Barnier called on France 2 television for a “national effort required to redress the situation” after France was placed earlier this year by the European Union’s executive arm under a formal procedure for running up excessive debt.

“I’m not going to further increase the tax burden on all French people,” Barnier promised, yet suggesting that “the wealthiest contribute to this national effort.”

In June, the EU Commission recommended to seven nations, including France, that they start a so-called “excessive deficit procedure,” the first step in a long process before any member state can be hemmed in and moved to take corrective action.

Barnier also vowed to “control and limit immigration” in Sunday’s interview. He said the number of migrants coming to France “has become unbearable.”

He referred to measures taken by neighboring countries like Germany, which this month ordered temporary controls at all land borders.

Barnier was appointed at the beginning of the month. His first major political test will come on Oct. 1, when he is set to deliver his general policy speech to the National Assembly, France’s powerful lower house of parliament.

A left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, secured the most seats in the June-July parliamentary elections but failed to win a majority.

The New Popular Front was not given a chance to form a minority government, and refused to make concessions and join a more left-leaning government alliance.

Barnier argued that the deal made by his conservative allies and Macron’s centrists would allow them to have a bigger support at the National Assembly.

Barnier, a 73-year-old political veteran known for his role as the EU’s Brexit negotiator, is no stranger to complex political tasks.

“We’ll make compromises,” he said. “That’s how I managed to unite the European Union’s 27 countries during the Brexit negotiations.”

Barnier also insisted there will be “no controversy” between him and Macron despite both coming from a different political background, because “that’s the interest of the country.”

Macron is to head Tuesday to New York for the U.N. General Assembly, before a two-day visit to Canada.

In France, the president holds a dominant role in strategic matters of defense and foreign policy while the prime minister leads the government and usually focuses more on domestic issues.

Left-wing voters and other critics have denounced the appointment of a government they say rejects people’s will.

Incoming ministers include staunch conservative Bruno Retailleau, in charge of the interior portfolio. Retailleau, known for his hardline views on immigration, vowed Monday to “restore order” in “the streets” and “at the borders.”

Jean-Noël Barrot, a centrist politician known for his work in digital transformation and European affairs, is the new foreign minister.