who is Eric Lombard, appointed Minister of the Economy?

Prime Minister François Bayrou appointed, this Monday, December 23, Eric Lombard, general director of the Caisse des Dépôts, to the post of Minister of the Economy.

After a long week of consultations, Prime Minister François Bayrou, appointed on December 13, finally unveiled his government. Among these new ministers, Eric Lombard was appointed to the post of Minister of the Economy.

The general director of the Caisse des Dépôts (CDC) thus takes over the reins of Bercy in place of Antoine Armand, appointed under the Barnier government.

a construction site in Bercy

Former general director of Generali France, Eric Lombard has been the general director of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations since December 8, 2017. However, he knows the political scene: in fact, in 1991, he was appointed advisor to Michel Sapin at the ministry delegate to Justice, then to the Ministry of Economy and Finance from 1992 to 1996.

His appointment at Bercy is not a surprise either: this summer, his name was circulating when Emmanuel Macron had to appoint a new Prime Minister. In 2022, in an interview with our colleagues at Les Échos, he said he was “compatible with the macronie and appreciated by the left”.

The agenda of the new Minister of the Economy already promises to be busy, particularly with the French debt showing at more than 3 billion euros.

The new tenant of Bercy will also have to look into the file of the 2025 finance bill, with a resumption of parliamentary examination set for January 14.