Former minister and Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier has in the past indicated that he wanted to rehabilitate the value of work, reduce taxes and duties, while supporting sustainable agriculture.
After 51 days without a government, Emmanuel Macron has finally chosen Michel Barnier, a former Brexit negotiator, to serve as prime minister. Known for his staunch pro-European positions, Michel Barnier will now have to tackle pressing domestic issues.
His vision of work, finance and agriculture will be crucial as France goes through a political crisis that has immobilized it for several months. Faced with worrying deficits and a growing debt, the task promises to be difficult.
The French are called upon to rehabilitate the value of work
On his personal website, which was taken offline shortly after his appointment, the politician who was not yet Prime Minister stressed the urgency for France to reconnect with the meaning and honor of work. Among the measures he envisaged were an increase in hours worked, a more marked reduction in social security contributions and a reduction in the gap between gross and net wages.
He also expressed criticism of the RSA and social benefits, accusing them of keeping some people on the margins of society. In the area of disability and illness, he proposed a single allowance, always less than a salary, to encourage people to return to work.
On unemployment, he advocated a stricter approach: beneficiaries would now have to participate in public or business activities full-time, and accept a job if available. In the event of two refusals of so-called “reasonable” job offers, benefits would be systematically withdrawn.
“I don’t want any more stowaways in our social system,” he said on his official website.
He also supported, notably during the 2021 LR primaries, raising the retirement age to 65.
Agriculture and fisheries at the heart of reforms
Nicknamed the “mountaineer”, Michel Barnier, author of The ecological challenge: each for all” (1994), was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries in 2007 by Nicolas Sarkozy. Under his supervision, several significant initiatives were launched, notably within the framework of the Grenelle Environment Forum, with plans to reduce pesticides, promote organic farming and improve the energy autonomy of farms.
These reforms laid the foundations for the “Earth 2020” plan. In terms of fishing, his actions were praised for modernizing the fleet while ensuring the preservation of resources.
Although Michel Barnier did not oppose the ban on Mon 810 GMO corn, his detractors, particularly at the FNSEA, criticize him for a defense of milk quotas that he considers too timid. In a recent text, “Agriculture, the urgency of a renewal”, he advocates a carbon tax at the borders and denounces a “regulatory escalation” which, according to him, weighs heavily on farms.
Reduction of taxes and duties
Candidate for the Republican nomination for the presidential election in 2021, during the debate opposing him to Éric Ciotti, Valérie Pécresse, Xavier Bertrand and Philippe Juvin, Michel Barnier distinguished himself by proposing to lower taxes and duties, in particular production taxes (by an additional 10 billion), to reduce social charges on “intermediate salaries” (from 1.6 to 2.5 times the minimum wage), to align teachers’ salaries with “those of other major countries”, to increase the number of hours worked in both the private and public sectors.
Regulated finance
In 2009, under the leadership of Nicolas Sarkozy, Michel Barnier launched into the European campaign with the conviction that the financial, economic and social crisis required a more ambitious response from Europe. Once elected, he participated in the adoption of 41 pieces of legislation aimed at regulating the financial markets.
Among his projects, the establishment of a European bank card, the European patent and increased supervision of electronic commerce. Michel Barnier also insists on the need to make progress in the protection of intellectual property and copyright.
After forming his government, the new Prime Minister’s first mission will be to table the draft finance bill for the coming year on Tuesday, October 1. The timetable is strict: Parliament must approve this text before mid-December, in order to allow its promulgation in the Official Journal by December 31. A real test for a newly formed government, faced with the urgent need to restore public accounts while restoring the confidence of the French.
