Minister, European Commissioner, Brexit negotiator… Who is Michel Barnier, appointed to Matignon by Emmanuel Macron?

Nearly two months after the legislative elections, the head of state has finally set his sights on this right-wing politician to succeed Gabriel Attal.

The suspense was becoming unbearable, it is now over. After the names of Lucie Castets, Thierry Beaudet, Bernard Cazeneuve, Xavier Bertrand and David Lisnard were mentioned for Matignon, Emmanuel Macron finally chose Michel Barnier73, to succeed Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister, the Elysée announced in a press release published on Thursday, September 5.

This figure of the Les Républicains party was notably a minister under François Mitterrand (during the period of cohabitation), Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy. He was also twice European Commissioner. Franceinfo looks back at the CV of the man who will now have to form a government, two months after the second round of the early legislative elections.

A Savoyard accustomed to ministries

Michel Barnier quickly became involved in politics. He was first elected as a member of parliament for Savoie in 1978, becoming the youngest member of the National Assembly at the age of 27. During the cohabitation that saw Édouard Balladur become Prime Minister of François Mitterrand from 1993 to 1995, he was appointed Minister of the Environment.

After the election of Jacques Chirac to the presidency of the Republic, he became Minister Delegate for European Affairs (from 1995 to 1997), then returned to the government a few years later, as Minister of Foreign Affairs (from 2004 to 2005). Finally, under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, he became Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (from 2007 to 2009).

President of the General Council of Savoie for seventeen years, Michel Barnier is also known for having defended – successfully – theAlbertville’s bid for the 1992 Winter Olympics, work carried out with triple Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy. Franceinfo had also interviewed him this summer about the difficult secret to keep surrounding the name of the Olympic flame bearer.

A convinced European who negotiated Brexit

The Savoyard is also an important figure in the European Union. In 1999, iHe thus became European Commissioner for Regional Policy, a position he held for more than four years. Between 2010 and 2014, and after six months of office as a Member of the European Parliament, he was this time appointed European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services.

Michel Barnier was then appointed chief Brexit negotiator in 2016 by Jean-Claude Juncker, then President of the European Commission. His mission ends on December 24, 2021, when an agreement with the United Kingdom is reached.

At the time, he declared on France 2: “I miss France. This country is in such a situation, with many difficulties, many injustices, a lack of respect everywhere. I believe that our country needs all the energy, and I will bring it the energy that I have today.”

A right-wing man who remained loyal to his party

From the UDR to LR via the RPR and the UMP, Michel Barnier has always remained loyal to the Gaullist family. He reappeared in national political life in 2021 as a candidate in the Republican primary for the 2022 presidential election. His program included a “moratorium” on immigration. He was eliminated after the first round, arriving in third position with 23.9% of the vote, behind Eric Ciotti and Valérie Pécresse.