Michel Barnier is the new prime minister of France.
French President Emmanuel Macron today appointed Michel Barnier, the European Union’s former chief Brexit negotiator, as the country’s prime minister, the Elysees announced, 60 days after snap parliamentary elections elected a National Assembly without a majority.
Macron instructed Barnier to form a new government, in a move aimed at ending weeks of political deadlock.
Barnier will have the big challenge of pushing through reforms and the 2025 budget amid a divided parliament, at a time when France is under pressure from the European Commission and bond markets to reduce its deficit.
The conservative 73-year-old politician previously held various government roles while also being an EU commissioner.
Barnier will become the oldest prime minister of the Fifth Republic, succeeding 35-year-old Gabriel Atal, who was the youngest prime minister.
Who is Michel Barnier?
Little known in France, the former Brexit negotiator became prime minister at the age of 73 amid a political crisis.
Michel Barnier has held various positions: he was elected the youngest councilor general in France at the age of 22, in 1973, while he was the youngest member of parliament, the youngest president of the prefectural council of Savoie, four times minister (of the environment, in 1993, of European affairs, in 1995, foreign affairs, in 2004, agriculture, in 2007). He was also a two-time European Commissioner and finally a Brexit negotiator.
The biggest challenge for Michel Barnier will be to reassure Brussels, while France has been in the excessive public deficit process since June. Barnier enjoys respect and recognition in the European political scene for which he worked for fifteen years, until the Brexit deal, which was reached through hard negotiations in December 2020.
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