François Bayrou will deliver his general policy speech on Tuesday.
Monday, on the eve of this expected political moment, negotiations were still underway between the executive and the political forces, mainly on pension reform.
The Prime Minister’s comments on agriculture will also be particularly scrutinized.
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The government of François Bayrou
It is a declaration which allows the new tenant of Matignon to present his project at the head of government and to give the main orientations of his program. François Bayrou delivers his general policy speech on Tuesday January 14 at 3 p.m. A usual exercise: it is traditionally pronounced by the new Prime Minister after his appointment by the President of the Republic. While François Bayrou will deliver his general policy declaration before the National Assembly, the Minister of National Education Élisabeth Borne will be responsible for reading it in parallel at the same time in the Senate.
A secret still surrounds the writing of this speech which the head of government refines almost alone. If nothing has yet filtered out of the content of his speech, it is because negotiations are still underway between the executive and the political forces, first and foremost the Socialist Party (PS), mainly on the reform of the retirements. François Bayrou continued his negotiations this Monday in order to avoid the motion of censure which will be tabled by La France insoumise; this without losing its Republican allies, who are raising their voices.
On the left, the First Secretary of the PS, Olivier Faure, requests the “suspension” of pension reform, the condition for the deputies of the rose party not to vote on the motion of censure. The socialists are demanding that this suspension be effective from the start of the renegotiation of the reform envisaged for six months with the social partners, and not only in the event of its success. Pausing the reform would, however, pose a technical headache and would also have a significant financial cost, more than 3 billion euros. The suspension is a “bad idea”indicated this Monday Édouard Philippe, estimating that this would place France “in a more critical financial situation”.
Mayotte, agriculture…
François Bayrou is expected on other subjects on Tuesday. And in particular on the reconstruction of Mayotte. This Monday, the National Assembly began examining in committee the emergency bill for Mayotte, the first text presented by the Bayrou government. It should be adopted without difficulty, because the sensitive migration issue is not addressed there. This examination begins as the archipelago suffered the passage of tropical storm Dikeledi which caused significant flooding, less than a month after the devastation of Cyclone Chido.
Another major issue that the Prime Minister should address on Tuesday: agriculture. The main agricultural unions, particularly active in the countryside for the chambers of agriculture, were received this Monday morning in Matignon by François Bayrou, who has often highlighted his peasant roots. “We told the Prime Minister that we are in a race against time to provide solutions”declared the president of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, at the end of the meeting. The majority union alliance, FNSEA-JA, is awaiting a timetable for keeping the promises obtained following their mobilization at the start of 2024 but delayed by the dissolution of the Assembly then by the motion of censure last December: the following the agricultural orientation bill, emergency aid, tax measures, “simplification”, etc.
The vast majority of French people think that we are in a country of insecurity
François Bayrou in December 2024
Other topics on the table include security. “The vast majority of French people think that we are in a country of insecurity”declared the Prime Minister in December. The fight against drug trafficking has also been made a priority by the executive. Sunday, on LCI, Gérald Darmanin announced (new window) that the “hundred biggest drug traffickers” who continue their criminal activity from their cell will be isolated in “a high security prison” in the summer. The Minister of Justice hears “hit very hard” against the “internal security threat” what drug trafficking represents. On this subject, a proposed law (new window) “aiming to get France out of the trap of drug trafficking” must be examined at the end of January in the Senate. This text could be adopted thanks to a broad consensus.
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Budget, general policy speeches, motion of censure… François Bayrou’s (already) high-risk return to school
The day after the Prime Minister’s general policy declaration, examination of the draft state budget for 2025 will resume in the Senate. Suspended by the vote on the motion of censure against the Barnier government, the examination of the finance bill (PLF) will resume precisely where it left off in Parliament. To save time, the government opted for this option, effectively ruling out the possibility of starting from scratch with another project, which would have required several additional weeks of debate.
