In full anger of the agricultural world, the new Prime Minister will present his roadmap and his priorities to the deputies on Tuesday. If the head of government will not seek a vote of confidence, he will try to detail the major reforms to come for this new phase of Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term.
Gabriel Attal is expected for his grand oral. The new Prime Minister must deliver his general policy declaration (or “DPG”) to the National Assembly on Tuesday January 30. Three weeks after his arrival in Matignon, in the midst of anger among the agricultural world, the young head of government is already under pressure. He will have to prove himself by detailing the priorities of his action before the national representation.
The exercise is a possibility offered by article 50-1 of the Constitution. Although there is no obligation to issue a DPG, it is nevertheless a republican tradition. It is also customary for the new Prime Minister to take responsibility after his speech via a vote of confidence, but Gabriel Attal has already announced that he would not take such a risk, the hemicycle still lacking an absolute majority. “A vote of confidence in the face of oppositions which are a priori distrustful and in a Pavlovian reflex of rejection, that doesn’t make much sense”justifies Renaissance deputy Antoine Armand.
With the wind rising against the announced increases in medical deductibles and electricity prices, the oppositions do not intend to do any favors for the new head of government. “We are preparing for a program of general suffering”for example, quipped the coordinator of France Insoumise, Manuel Bompard, after meeting Gabriel Attal. “The only thing he told us was that he was there to make Borne faster, more powerful”also deplored the leader of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure.
“He’s going to take out the sulphate”
In this context, what new developments will Gabriel Attal be able to announce, even though Emmanuel Macron has already occupied the field for more than two hours during a press conference on January 16? “Internally, there was a ‘wow effect’ when he was appointed. But now he must give a vision”demands a member of the majority. “He will have to show how he intends to put into music the main directions given by the president in terms of legislative texts, timetable. There is the SNU [Service national universel]labor law 2, the shock of simplification, teacher training, the uniform… The wait will also focus on how this will materialize in an operational manner”anticipates Renaissance MP Pierre Cazeneuve.
“If the Head of State has already announced a certain number of things, the challenge will be to continue to demonstrate that he is very pro-active, that he is a reforming Prime Minister dedicated to action 100% .”
Pierre Cazeneuve, Renaissance deputyat franceinfo
“The President of the Republic has drawn up his vision for the rest of the five-year term, Gabriel Attal will go into action, give his road map and his bills. And he will continue to do Attal, that is to say say take out the sulphator”, hopes another member of the majority. During his trip to Indre-et-Loire on Sunday, the Prime Minister spoke of the “three pillars” which should structure his declaration: “work”, “public services” and the “ecological transition”.
On work, Gabriel Attal thinks first of the middle classes, “those who can only rely on their job and have the feeling of receiving nothing in return”. Regarding public services, the head of government should talk about access to care, education – “mother of battles” –, security and authority. Finally, on ecology, the Prime Minister says he hopes “get out of the sterile debates between growth and climate”promising to build “a new growth model, because ecology creates jobs”. His speech in the Palais-Bourbon hemicycle should last around an hour and include announcements “strong” on education, but also towards the middle classes.
In the midst of mobilizing farmers, Gabriel Attal will not be able to avoid the subject of agriculture, especially since he promised to complete the first announcements made last Friday, deemed insufficient by farmers. “His general policy declaration obviously falls into current events that he cannot avoid”, admits Renaissance MP Robin Reda. Especially since the head of government has chosen to be on the front line in this crisis, “even though it was not his first area of predilection”notes a deputy. “The agricultural crisis will not guide his announcement schedule, he knew that the crisis would not be resolved with the wave of a magic wand. Then, when the president speaks of a simplification shock and a productivity shock, it resonates well with the current crisis”estimates a close friend of the head of state.
Establish yourself as majority leader
This DPG at the time of the anger of the farmers, it is both “a risk and an opportunityanalyzes a majority deputy. There is the risk of being hit by this news, but also the opportunity to show that he can tackle other subjects.” In any case, the agricultural crisis looks like a baptism of fire. “If he passes this obstacle, he becomes our undisputed leader, the leader of the majority. And he silences Le Maire, Darmanin and Bayrou”hopes for another elected Macronist.
Even if Emmanuel Macron called for rapid results, Gabriel Attal took the time for consultation so as not to miss his meeting with deputies and public opinion. He thus nourished himself “to the French” for almost two hours on January 20 in the Rhône. “I don’t plan to prepare [la déclaration de politique générale] by staying in my office with my advisors. I like the terrain, moving around”he then explained.
He also received unions and parliamentarians, took advice from his ministers and exchanged views with the Elysée. “He largely co-constructed his general policy declaration with the active forces and parliamentarians. We now expect Gabriel Attal to do Gabriel Attal: uncompromising lucidity on the diagnosis, authority and firmness in his desire to speed things up, concrete measures and calendar”lists MP Antoine Armand. “It was very clever not to make his general policy declaration straight away, it allows us to show that he is consulting, to bring back the echo of the president’s conference. It also allows us to override the decision of the Council constitutional [sur la loi immigration]“observes a minister.
“His very first steps are flawless.”
A ministerat France Télévisions
Many of the majority also expect from the speech a confirmation of the Prime Minister’s new method, a mixture of “pragmatism” And “efficiency”in the words of several interlocutors. “This is an opportunity to stamp the Attal stamp: professional and unifying”, also wishes MP Robin Reda. Gabriel Attal, judged as an excellent communicator within the macronie, will now have to demonstrate that he can also transform himself into a man of action and results.