French PM Barnier unveils new government, putting budget and EU affairs under his purview

PARIS — French Prime Minister Michel Barnier unveiled his new government on Saturday, ending a record-long two-month transition period that politically paralyzed France.

Barnier, a former Brexit negotiator who was named premier earlier this month, put together a Cabinet that one veteran political commentator called the “most right-wing” in more than a decade. Barnier also placed some junior ministers under his authority to directly oversee key policies, including on European affairs and the budget. Given his experience in Brussels and public concern over France’s mounting budget deficit, Barnier had been expected to play a greater role in negotiations with the European Commission over the so-called excessive deficit procedure Paris was put under for breaching European Union rules on public spending last year. 

Here is the government: 

Minister of Justice: Didier Migaud
Minister for Territorial Partnerships and Decentralization: Catherine Vautrin
Minister of the Interior: Bruno Retailleau
Minister of National Education: Anne Genetet
Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs: Jean-Noël Barrot
Minister of Culture and Heritage: Rachida Dati
Minister of Defense: Sébastien Lecornu
Minister of Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate, and Risk Prevention: Agnès Pannier-Runacher
Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry: Antoine Armand
Minister of Health and Access to Care: Geneviève Darrieussecq
Minister of Solidarity, Autonomy, and Gender Equality: Paul Christophe
Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal: Valérie Létard
Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry: Annie Genevard
Minister of Labor and Employment: Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet
Minister of Sports, Youth, and Community Life: Gil Avérous
Minister of Higher Education and Research: Patrick Hetzel
Minister of Civil Service, Streamlining, and Public Sector Transformation: Guillaume Kasbarian

Barnier, who was named premier earlier this month, first submitted an initial list of Cabinet members to President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday following days of tense negotiations over the makeup of the government.

Key figures within the pro-Macron coalition had raised concerns over rumors that Barnier was open to the idea of raising taxes to reduce France’s growing deficit — a prospect Macron’s Renaissance party had identified as a “red line.”

Then there was an issue over how many key Cabinet positions the Republicans — Barnier’s conservative party, which holds a small number of seats in the French National Assembly — would secure at the expense of Macron’s centrists. The French president urged his prime minister to build a government which would lean towards “national unity.”

Barnier ended up with a government that includes a mix of holdovers from the last administration, several conservative newcomers and first-time centrist appointees. 

Taken together, it is “the most right-wing government since the Fillon administration under Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidency” more than a decade ago, veteran political commentator Alain Duhamel said on news channel BFM after the government was announced. 

One of the most noteworthy appointments is Bruno Retailleau — a staunch conservative known for his hardline stances on immigration which in the past led to accusations of racism — as interior minister. Several prominent allies of French President Emmanuel Macrons voiced concerns of Retailleau’s potential appointment after rumors surfaced that he would get the interior minister post earlier this week. Among them was Anne Genetet, who was named education minister.  

The new foreign affairs minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, is a member of the Macron-allied centrist Democratic Movement and the son of former European commissioner Jacques Barrot. He previously served as France’s junior minister for European affairs.  

The new junior minister for European affairs is Benjamin Haddad, a 38-year-old Macron ally and former senior director for the D.C.-based Atlantic Council think tank. 

A summer of political chaos

Macron’s decision to call snap elections after the far-right National Rally’s landslide victory in the European elections in June resulted in a political deadlock, with no party or coalition coming close to an absolute majority.

The French president ruled out the possibility of the pan-left New Popular Front, which had narrowly won the election, forming a government, citing the likelihood that it would be torpedoed by an immediate vote of no confidence. But a leftist government would have likely tried unravel key pieces of his legacy, including his controversial decision to raise the minimum retirement age, as well.

The new administration is made up of centrist and right-wing forces and has the tacit support of the far right for now. In a statement released Thursday, the prime minister’s office said the new government would prioritize on improving living standards; guaranteeing security and controlling immigration; boosting France’s economic appeal; protecting the environment; and reining in French debt.

Barnier will further outline his government’s next steps during his inaugural policy speech before parliament on Oct. 1.