From purchasing power to immigration, the Prime Minister detailed his priorities on Tuesday afternoon in the face of a heckled National Assembly.
Great oral for Michel Barnier. Nearly a month after his appointment,he Prime Minister delivered his general policy speech on Tuesday, October 1, to deputies. For nearly an hour and a half, in a rowdy National Assembly, the head of government revealed the “major projects” of his government.
His speech began by repeating a formula from General de Gaulle: “Do a lot with a little”which is “the daily life of many of our compatriots”. The Prime Minister then unveiled a series of proposals on the budgetary situation, access to public services, security and even immigration. Here is what to remember from the main statements of the head of government.
A reduction in spending and the contribution of the “richest” and “large companies” to reduce a “colossal” debt
The Prime Minister first intends to regain control of the public accounts, while the public deficit is expected at 6% for 2024. “The real sword of Damocles”, “this is our debt” who is “colossal”estimated Michel Barnier. “The debt burden”that is to say the repayment of interest on the debt only, is “the second largest expenditure item for the State, behind schools”he castigated. Michel Barnier intends to reduce the deficit to 5% in 2025 and achieve the European objective of 3% in 2029. A change of trajectory, since the previous government aimed for a return below 3% by 2027.
DPG: Michel Barnier announces “an exceptional contribution”
To achieve this, Michel Barnier announces that the budgetary effort will come from “two thirds” reduction in public spending. On the tax aspect, the head of government asks “participation in collective recovery for large companies which make significant profits”. He also intends to establish “an exceptional contribution” of the “The most fortunate French people”.
The fight against global warming “at the heart of the government’s action”
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”launched Michel Barnier from the podium, assuring that the fight against global warming would be “at the heart of [son] action”. “We can and must do more”he argued, citing the prevention of “increasingly numerous and violent risks”, preserving biodiversity and encouraging the circular economy.
DPG: “I believe in an ecology of solutions”, declares Michel Barnier
He promoted a “ecology of solutions”emphasizing that it was possible to “find a path of realism and action”. Among the solutions mentioned, unsurprisingly, is the “nuclear development” but also renewable energies and biofuels for aviation. He also promised to encourage “decarbonization of factories” And “innovation”notably “for solar and geothermal energy”.
“Think about adjustments” to pension reform
In accordance with his promise, the Prime Minister proposed to the social partners to “consider fair and reasonable accommodations” of pension reform, particularly on the “gradual retirement”, “professional attrition”, “equality between women and men in retirement”.
He also suggested that they “negotiate in the coming weeks on the employment of seniors, on our unemployment compensation system”.
Michel Barnier says he is ready to “reflect” on “proportional voting”
Michel Barnier assured that he “heard the calls for more representativeness” and said to himself “ready for reflection and action without ideology on proportional voting”. Proportionality is requested by several political groups, notably the National Rally and the MoDem.
In a divided Assembly, the Prime Minister called for “listening”of “respect” and of “dialogue” between “the government and Parliament”And “between all the political forces and all the political sensitivities of the Assembly”. Michel Barnier declared himself “ready to share the agenda” For “welcome transpartisan and ambitious legislative proposals for the country”.
The Prime Minister proposes the postponement of provincial elections in New Caledonia “until the end of 2025”
Michel Barnier returned to the “crisis of exceptional gravity”economic and political, that New Caledonia experiences. He called for a “new period” during which a “political consensus” on the constitutional future of the territory must be decided, while“a mission of consultation and dialogue”, led by the presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate, Yaël Braun-Pivet and Gérard Larcher, “will travel to New Caledonia soon”. For this, he proposed a postponement of the provincial elections “until the end of 2025”.
Pledges on social progress
While his government has several ministers who have opposed marriage for all or the constitutionalization of voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion), Michel Barnier has given assurances on the societal aspect. “There will be no tolerance for racism and anti-Semitism” neither “no questioning” of abortion, he assured. On the end of life, while parliamentary work was interrupted with the dissolution pronounced by Emmanuel Macron, Michel Barnier promised that discussions would resume “early next year”.
DPG: Michel Barnier on abortion and marriage for all
Measures for purchasing power and access to public services
The Prime Minister also intends to respond to “concerns” of the daily lives of the French, particularly regarding their purchasing power. “We will increase the minimum wage by 2% from November 1, in anticipation of the date of January 1”said Michel Barnier, calling on the professional branches in which the minimum wages are lower than the minimum wage to be “quick negotiations”. The head of government also wants to review the “load-relieving device”, Who “slows down the rise in wages above the minimum wage”.
Michel Barnier also wants to emphasize access to public services, by developing transport in rural areas, by using volunteer retired teachers to make up for the lack of teachers or the commitment of“French and foreign interns” in medical deserts.
Moreover, “we are going to simplify as much as possible the standards which apply to the construction of new housing or the rehabilitation of old housing”in order to make more housing available, he promised. Access to the property will be facilitated by “the extension of the zero-rate loan throughout the territory”.
The government intends to “limit the possibilities of sentence reduction”
The Prime Minister promised law enforcement “even more visible and present on public roads”in particular by reducing the time spent on “administrative procedures”. He also wished the “reduction of judgment times, particularly for minors”wishing “the creation of an immediate appearance procedure for juvenile offenders over 16 years old” and a reflection on the minority excuse.
So that the penalties are “actually executed”the Prime Minister wishes “revise the conditions for granting a suspended sentence and limit the possibilities of sentence reduction”, as well as an appeal “more important to community service, administrative fines and criminal fixed fines”. Finally, Michel Barnier announced the creation of prison places and said he was in favor of “the creation of new establishments for short sentences”especially for “juvenile delinquents”.
A more “satisfactory” control of migration policy
The Prime Minister wanted to get out of “the ideological impasse” in which, according to him, the subject of immigration is found. “We no longer have satisfactory control over our migration policy”he estimated. Michel Barnier wishes “more efficient and local processing of asylum applications”so that decisions are known more quickly. He also wants “facilitate the exceptional extension of the detention of foreigners in an irregular situation” in order to facilitate the execution of obligations to leave French territory (OQTF).
To improve this point, he is also considering further conditioning “the granting of visas to obtain consular passes necessary for deportations to the border”by renegotiating agreements with the countries of origin of migrants coming to France. Finally, he hopes that France can “reestablish controls at its own borders”in compliance with European rules.
A declaration disrupted by rebellious deputies
Hostile to the government of Michel Barnier, while the New Popular Front (NFP) came first in the early legislative elections at the beginning of July, the La France insoumise (LFI) deputies brandished their voter cards in the Assembly, from the start of the Prime Minister’s speech.
LFI deputies brandish voter cards in the hemicycle
If they quickly put away their document, Michel Barnier spoke throughout his speech in a significant hubbub, his speech being punctuated by reactions, support or hostility, from many deputies.