What to remember about pension reform, its priorities and even proportionalism.

He promised that the executive was entering into a “new era”. Following a first day of political consultations, the new Prime Minister Michel Barnier gave his first interview since his appointment in Matignon on Friday 6 September, during the 8pm news programme on TF1.

The former right-wing minister and Brexit negotiator justified his appointment by his “ability to negotiate, to unite people, to respect them, to listen to them”. Accused by Emmanuel Macron of “to form a unifying government at the service of the country”The 73-year-old Savoyard knows that he is on borrowed time and will have to find the right balance to avoid the first vote of no confidence.

He assured that he “respected” the 11 million voters of the National Rally (RN), on whom their survival in Parliament depends but who had “nothing or little in common with theses or ideologies” The President of the Republic is accused of having placed Barnier under the control of the far-right party, which gave its implicit consent to his appointment by stating that it would not automatically censure him, after having been rejected by Bernard Cazeneuve and then by Xavier Bertrand.

• “Improvement” of pension reform

Asked about the highly controversial pension reform adopted last year by 49.3, in a context of strong mobilization in the streets against the text, the new Prime Minister declared that he wanted “open the debate” for one ” improvement “ of the latter.

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

Barnier, who was in favour of raising the legal age to 65 during the 2021 Republican (LR) primaries, refused to say whether he would return to the 62-64 age limit included in the reform adopted in 2023. “Don’t ask me to tell you where we’re going to end up. I want to improve this issue, but within the budgetary framework.” said.

Recalling the context of the adoption of the law, Michel Barnier estimated “that we work better with Parliament, even in the difficult situations we find ourselves in, that we must respect and take into account the social partners, the trade unions.” While the 2023 reform provides for a gradual increase in the age to 64, the New Popular Front (NFP), like the National Rally (RN) and the unions, want to repeal it and return to 62. Socialist or centrist voices, on the other hand, advocate re-discussing the parameters. The presidential camp and the right are calling for ” serious “ budgetary.

• It does not “prohibit” proportionalism

As for the party’s life, Michel Barnier does not rule out the introduction of proportional representation, which would allow voting by lists rather than by single-member constituencies in two rounds.

“There is no red line, I just want the V”^my Republic (…) It works well, maybe better. So if proportionality, in part, is a solution, I do not prohibit it.”he said, before adding: “ But I need to discuss with all political groups.”This voting method is being requested by several parties, including the RN, and would facilitate the formation of coalitions, according to some officials.

• His priorities: immigration, jobs, debt and public services

As the day before during his presentation speech with Gabriel Attal, Michel Barnier set among his priorities “controlling migration flows with concrete measures”revalue work and not increase France’s debt. The head of government also mentioned the public services that “They are also a huge need in urban neighborhoods, but also in the countryside”thus resuming the main lines of the “ “Legislative pact” presented by his party LR in July. “I think of medical deserts and naturally I think of health and housing”he said, adding ecological debt to his priorities.

• Does not “deny further fiscal justice”

Asked about the abysmal public deficit, which is expected to widen further to 5.6% of GDP this year, the Prime Minister replied: “In the face of this emergency, I do not deny myself greater fiscal justice”.

” I will [m’]We must strive, with the various ministers who will be appointed, to better control, make better use of public money and trust in public services, because we need efficient public services.”Mr Barnier argued. “We are tired of signing blank checks for future generations, both in terms of ecology and public finances”he summarized.

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

• Affirmation of the “independence” of the 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.”Michel Barnier said at the end of the interview, after being asked about the ties he would maintain with the head of state.

After seven years of hyper-presidency, marked by the defeat of his party in the legislative elections in July, Emmanuel Macron promised to remain more in the background and no longer oversee government policy. Michel Barnier, without an absolute majority, will be under the permanent threat of a vote of no confidence by the National Rally, far from the periods of coexistence under the V^my Republic.

“I had a difficult time when I was a minister, but we are not in that situation”The Prime Minister admitted, the Elysee, for its part, outlining a “Demanding coexistence”. He promised again “new methods” governance, hoping to mark its difference with previous governments.

Referring to his relationship with the president, Michel Barnier admitted to having been in “opposition” but also having voted “voluntarily and without any problem for him in the second round” in 2017 and 2022 against Marine Le Pen. “We were opposed to each other, we did not always have the same ideas. He is the President of the Republic and I have respect for the position and for the man.”he wanted to add.