LIVE – First Council of Ministers: “The objective remains to reduce the debt”, indicates the government spokesperson

The presentation of the bill on Mayotte will be carefully studied during the next Council of Ministers, next week, indicated the government spokesperson. It was postponed due to the trip of Overseas Minister Manuel Valls to the archipelago devastated by Cyclone Chido. “There will be no postponement of its examination,” promised Sophie Primas, who indicates that the authorities are “finishing the assessment of needs”. The spokesperson finally indicates “not having considered” whether she would go to Mayotte. “I only go if it’s necessary,” she concluded.

Asked about the violence against elected officials and in particular the damage to the home of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Sophie Primas assured that “hate has no place in the National Assembly, on the networks and in the eyes of those who are elected “.

Asked about the budget and the government’s timetable on this theme, government spokesperson Sophie Primas indicated that she had “no timetable at the moment” but “the main orientations will probably be in the general policy speech of January 14.” by François Bayrou, she said.

Asked about the agricultural crisis, government spokesperson Sophie Primas acknowledged that “the agricultural crisis has not disappeared”. Recalling that the censorship of the Barnier government delayed the implementation of aid measures decided for these sectors. “I know that the Minister of Agriculture is very determined” and that the “legislative tools” are ready to release the aid. “The agricultural texts are among the first texts which will be examined in the National Assembly and the Senate”.

Has François Bayrou set the objective of reducing the deficit to 5.4% of GDP in 2025, as Le Monde indicates? Sophie Primas did not confirm this, assuring that “the deficit will be the result of consultations and the path that will be found at Bercy”. “We will first establish this dialogue and between 5.4%, 5.1%, 5.9% or 5.8% we will see where the path is and what is bearable for the French deficit,” he said. she added, assuring however that “the objective remains to reduce the debt”.

François Bayrou has not established a non-censorship agreement with the opposition forces, so how can we not fall quickly, like Michel Barnier before him? “The whole path that we are trying to find is to engage in discussions with each of the political groups to find out what the paths are,” explained Sophie Primas. We ask to “go beyond the red lines, the postures”, “each political group has before it the demands of the French” and will have to “take responsibility so that this government can move forward”.

“The political moment we are experiencing is completely unprecedented (…), carrying risks for the stability of our institutions” and “it is in this storm that everyone must take their responsibilities, move away from inflexible positions and make the choice to the requirement and surpassing”, indicated Sophie Primas in the report of the Council of Ministers. “The government’s mission is clear: to get France moving again, to bring people together across divisions and to provide concrete answers to our fellow citizens.”

“Each text will have the ambition to unite, to build responsible majorities,” she added. “We don’t have the luxury of inaction.” The time of opposition and “ideological clashes” “will come”, but at the time of the presidential election of 2027, she declares, placing the government in a long time frame.

According to information from TF1 and LCI, collected from Emmanuel Macron’s entourage, the President of the Republic expressed wishes for “unity, determination, responsibility” to the ministers meeting in the Council of Ministers.

She will take the floor to report on the first Council of Ministers of the Bayrou government. Find out who Sophie Primas is, right-wing senator, former minister responsible for foreign trade, who became government spokesperson.

“There is a path, it is even better defined than we believe” to emerge from political instability, said François Bayrou on Friday during the traditional government breakfast at Place Beauvau marking the new year, his entourage reported .

“The French do not want this period of instability to continue. If we are united, we will be able to remove a certain number of obstacles before us,” declared the Prime Minister, who went on foot with his team at the Elysée for its first Council of Ministers and the first of the year. “My responsibility is for this team to be united and courageous,” he added.