Summary
France: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday appointed Michel Barnier as the new Prime Minister. Barnier is a former EU Brexit negotiator. He negotiated Brexit between the EU and Britain from 2016 to 2021.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office on Thursday named Michel Barnier as the new prime minister. Barnier is a former EU Brexit negotiator. He negotiated Brexit between the European Union (EU) and Britain from 2016 to 2021. This appointment has been made after the elections held two months ago. Barnier has previously served in various positions in the country’s government. He has previously been a Commissioner of the European Union.
Barnier (72 years old) has 40 years of experience in French and European politics. He has previously held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Environment of France. He has been EU Commissioner twice. In addition, he has also been an advisor to EU President Ursula von der Leyen. Barnier had announced his intention to run for president in 2021. However, he did not get sufficient support from within the party. President Macron accepted the resignation of former Prime Minister Gabriel Etal and his government in July after his coalition suffered defeat in the second round of parliamentary elections. Barnier became MP for the first time at the age of 27
Since then, President Macron was facing pressure from the political class regarding the appointment of a new Prime Minister. During a visit to Serbia last week, Macron told reporters that he was making necessary efforts to finalize a name for prime minister. However, it is not clear whether Barnier will be able to form a stable government. After the election the National Rally (RN) is one of the largest parties in the parliament. Born in January 1951 in a suburb of the French city of Grenoble, Barnier was first elected to Parliament at the age of 27.
