Monsieur, Sir, Mister: How Europe will deal with Barnier

The new Prime Minister of France, Michel Barnier, is not known in Europe at all. Initial impressions of the appointment of the former EU Commissioner and Brexit negotiator are positive – despite his recent Eurosceptic turn.

In France, where the president wields more power than the leaders of neighboring EU states, prime ministers rarely attract international attention.

die meeting However, Barnier’s appointment as prime minister on Thursday (September 5) has prompted several reactions from European leaders.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen immediately congratulated the 73-year-old.

The interests of Europe and France are at the heart of the former Brexit negotiator, as her years of experience prove,” she wrote.

As a two-time European commissioner who led the EU’s Brexit Task Force 50, Barnier is used to working with European leaders as well as senior EU Commission officials.

The latter include the director general of competition, Olivier Guersent, who was head of his office during Barnier’s time as commissioner of the internal market, and the director general of trade, Sabine Weyand, a woman right Barnier in the Brexit task force.

Above all, Barnier also knows Stéphanie Riso, former strategy director in the Brexit task force and current budget director. This relationship could be useful because France is under the excessive deficit approach and the country’s budget is in deficit.

From Berlin with love

Barnier’s appointment was also welcomed in Germany.

He was happy, the European policy spokesperson of the CDU (EVP), sister party of Barnier’s Les Républicains, Gunther Krichbaum, told Euractiv.

“Also, France has proven and experienced Europeans at the helm who, as EU Commissioner, have brought to a conclusion many seemingly closed negotiations, for example on Brexit, ” he said.

“His election is a positive development for Germany and Europe.”

Positive tones also came from the government.

The President of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly, the SPD’s foreign policy expert Nils Schmid, told Euractiv that “President Macron has chosen a proven European in Michel Barnier as the future head of the French government.”

He also praised Barnier for his political experience. The French is “a boon for bilateral relations between France and Germany.” “

Eurosceptic who loves the EU?

The proposal is all the more surprising since Barnier has made rather Eurosceptic statements recently. At the Les Républicains primaries for the French presidential bid in December 2021, for example, he suggested that national law should take precedence over EU law in migration policy.

Barnier’s Eurosceptic views don’t seem to have crossed the English Channel either. Many on the other side of the Brexit negotiating table still see Barnier as a committed European who will implement EU rules without compromise.

But Barnier is not hostile to the United Kingdom and, contrary to what Brexiteers believed, he is even an Anglophile to some extent, according to former Labor MP Richard Corbett.

“Barnier will be a voice willing to push back on Britain’s position if it threatens the integrity of the EU,” Jim Brunsden, head of the macro policy team at FleishmanHillard in Brussels, told Euractiv.

“You can’t have an internal market à la carte yes,” Barnier said in an interview with Euractiv last week.

France has voted: surprisingly the left wing alliance won the election

Against all odds, the far-left Front Populaire coalition won the second and final round of early elections in France on Sunday (7 July). According to the polls, he was far ahead of the right-wing Rassemblement National (RN).

In the shadow of Macron

Nevertheless, Barnier’s position remains a paradox.

“I find it strange that EU issues are Barnier’s strength, but Macron wants to maintain the primacy of French EU policy,” said Lord Peter Ricketts, chairman of the House of Lords European Committee. on X.

“And Barnier has no experience as a minister or MP for Finance and Budget, and that will be his biggest challenge, including maintaining confidence in the market.

Even if Barnier fails to escape the shadow of the powerful president, Philipp Lausberg, a policy expert at the European Policy Centre, believes that the importance of foreign policy should not be overestimated right now.

“His main focus will certainly be on the budget and the cohesion of the coalition,” said Corbett. He also believes that Barnier will focus primarily on national issues.

Even when it comes to EU-UK relations – Barnier’s strength – Corbett does not see an immediate impact of Barnier’s position on those relations. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already expressed interest in reviving relations with the bloc.

“When it comes to the relationship between the EU and the UK, the Council is at least responsible, and in the case of France it is Macron rather than Barnier. “

[Bearbeitet von Daniel Eck/Alice Taylor-Braçe/Nick Alipour]