Eric Lombard appointed Minister of Economy and Finance

The general director of the Caisse des Dépôts Eric Lombard takes the reins of Bercy as Minister of Economy and Finance.

The Bayrou government's list was revealed this Monday evening and it is Eric Lombard who inherits the Ministry of the Economy. In the last hours of negotiations, the appointment to this very strategic position was visibly one of the sticking points between François Bayrou and the different forces represented in Parliament.

The general director of the Caisse des Dépôts (CDC) succeeds a pair within the government of Michel Barnier, where Laurent Saint-Martin held the position of minister responsible for the Budget and public accounts, reporting directly to the Prime Minister, and Antoine Armand that of Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry of France.

A strategic choice

Through this appointment, François Bayrou and Emmanuel Macron place a man whose vision is close to that of the President of the Republic. But the other political advantage presented by Eric Lombard's profile is the good image he enjoys within part of the left, he who was an advisor to ministers Louis Le Pensec and especially Michel Sapin at the start of the second presidential term of François Mitterrand. It was alongside the second that he discovered Bercy between 1992 and 1993.

On a technical level, Eric Lombard has held positions for seven years which provide him with significant proximity to local authorities as General Manager of the Caisse des Dépôts. Furthermore, the CDC plays a leading role in the housing sector and the arrival of its former boss at the head of Bercy is a signal sent to real estate professionals who have been facing a serious crisis for more than two years.