what you want to learn about pension reform, its priorities and proportional illustration | EUROtoday

He promised that the manager would enter right into a “new era”. After a primary day of political consultations, the brand new Prime Minister Michel Barnier gave his first interview after his appointment to Matignon the day earlier than, Friday September 6, on the TF1 “8 p.m.” information.

The former right-wing minister and Brexit negotiator justified his appointment by his “ability to negotiate, to bring people together, to respect them, to listen to them”. Charged by Emmanuel Macron with “to form a unifying government in the service of the country”the 73-year-old from Savoy already is aware of he’s on borrowed time and must discover the appropriate balances to keep away from falling on the first movement of censure.

He assured that he “respected” the 11 million voters of the National Rally (RN), on whom its survival in Parliament relies upon however which it had not “nothing in common or not much in common with the theses or ideologies” of the far-right get together. The President of the Republic is accused of getting positioned Mr. Barnier beneath the tutelage of the far-right get together, which gave its implicit settlement to his nomination by affirming that it might not censure him robotically, after having refused that of Bernard Cazeneuve then of Xavier Bertrand.

• “Improvement” of the pension reform

Asked concerning the extremely controversial pension reform adopted final yr by 49.3, in opposition to a backdrop of sturdy road protests in opposition to the textual content, the brand new Prime Minister mentioned he needed “open the debate” for a ” improvement “ of the latter.

“I will speak before the National Assembly and also in the Senate in the coming weeks on this subject which is very serious. We are not going to call everything into question. This law was voted on in very difficult conditions. It required debates.”Mr Barnier first declared, earlier than including: “I will open the debate on improving this law for the most vulnerable people and I will do so with the social partners”.

A supporter in the course of the Republicans (LR) major in 2021 of a postponement of the authorized age to 65, Mr. Barnier refused to say whether or not he would return to the shift from 62 to 64 years included within the reform adopted by power in 2023. “Don't ask me to say where we are going to end up. I want to start improving this issue, but within the budgetary framework,” he mentioned.

Referring briefly to the context of the adoption of the regulation, Michel Barnier estimated: “that we work better with Parliament, including in the difficult situations in which we find ourselves, that we must respect and take into account the social partners, the unions.” While the 2023 reform offers for a gradual enhance within the age to 64, the New Popular Front (NFP), just like the National Rally (RN) and the unions, need to repeal it and return to 62. Socialist or centrist voices are as an alternative arguing for a rediscussation of the parameters. The presidential camp and the appropriate are calling for ” serious “ budgetary.

• He doesn’t “prohibit” proportional illustration

Concerning the lifetime of the events, Michel Barnier didn’t rule out introducing proportional illustration, which might permit voting for lists and not by single-member constituency poll with two rounds.

“There is no red line, I just want the V^e Republic (…) works well, maybe better. So if proportional representation, in part, is a solution, I don't rule it out.”he mentioned, earlier than including: “ But I need to discuss with all political groups”This voting method is demanded by several parties, including the RN, and would make it easier to form coalitions, according to some officials.

• Its priorities: immigration, work, debt and public services

As the day before during his handover speech with Gabriel Attal, Michel Barnier set among his priorities: “controlling migratory flows with concrete measures”revalue work and never enhance France's debt. The head of presidency additionally cited the general public companies which “are additionally an enormous want in city areas, but in addition within the countryside”thus taking up the broad outlines of the “ legislative pact” offered by his LR get together in July. “I think of medical deserts and I naturally think of health and housing”he mentioned, including ecological debt to his priorities.

• He doesn’t “forbid himself from more tax justice”

Asked concerning the abysmal public deficit, which is anticipated to widen additional to five.6% of GDP this yr, the Prime Minister replied: “Faced with this emergency, I do not rule out greater tax justice”.

” I will [m’]to strive, with the various ministers who will be appointed, to better control, to better use public money and to rely on public services, because we need effective public services”Mr Barnier argued. “We are fed up with writing blank checks for future generations, both in terms of ecology and public finances”he summed up.

Before including: “We also need growth, growth (…) does not fall from the sky, it does not come from the administration, it comes from businesses, small, large or medium-sized, from farmers, fishermen, from our foreign trade, from the role of French people abroad (…), from our departments and our overseas regions.”

• Affirmation of the “independence” of the federal government

“The government is responsible, there is independence. The government will govern and I will do so in good understanding with the President of the Republic naturally”mentioned Michel Barnier on the finish of the interview, after being requested concerning the hyperlinks he would keep with the pinnacle of state. I

After seven years of hyper-presidency, punctuated by his get together's defeat within the legislative elections in July, Emmanuel Macron has promised to face again extra and not supervise authorities coverage. Michel Barnier, with out an absolute majority, will probably be beneath everlasting menace of a movement of censure from the National Rally, a far cry from the intervals of cohabitation beneath the Fifth^e Republic.

“I experienced difficult cohabitations when I was one of the ministers but we are not in this situation”conceded the Prime Minister, the Elysée for its half sketching out a “demanding coexistence”. He once more promised to “new methods” governance, wishing to mark its distinction from earlier governments.

Speaking about his relationship with the president, Michel Barnier admitted to having been in “opposition” but in addition voted “voluntarily and without problem for him in the second round” in 2017 and 2022 in opposition to Marine Le Pen. “We opposed each other, we didn't always have the same ideas. He is the President of the Republic and I have respect for the office and for the man.”he added.