Guest on TF1’s “8 pm” program on Tuesday, November 26, Prime Minister Michel Barnier declared that “probably, definitely”the finance bill for 2025 would be approved using article 49.3 of the Constitution. This approval without going through a vote would open the way to the presentation of a motion of censure from the left, to which the extreme right threatens to join, which would overthrow the Government.
Michel Barnier considers this censorship “an alliance in votes, unlikely but possible, between the votes of Mr. [Jean-Luc] Mélenchon and the voices of Mme [Marine] Le Pen, who would be joined by the Socialist Party, the Communist Party and the Greens. I fall, the government closes and what happens? “There is no more budget.” For the head of government, “serious turbulence in financial markets” would arise in the event that a motion of censure was adopted, ensuring that the French wanted “stability”.
Asked about the concessions made to the political parties during the budget debates and, in particular, about the reduction in savings – when the Government expected 40 billion euros -, Michel Barnier defends himself and presents a budget that initially “perfectible”. “I did it with the government in two weekshe stressed. We do not give to the right or the left, we refer to local authorities, companies, political parties and pensioners’ associations. (…). We will find a balance in the budget. The objective is to reduce the deficit of this budget to 5%” of the gross domestic product.
A high-risk meeting on Wednesday
“We already take loans at very high interest rates, interest rates that we are obliged to respect to finance our debt with Chinese or American investors. Currently they are almost at the level of Greece”added the prime minister, appointed in September in Matignon by Emmanuel Macron to lead the country out of the political crisis after the dissolution of the National Assembly. The difference between ten-year benchmark loan interest rates between France and Germany has reached its highest level since 2012.
If his future is suspended in Parliament, Michel Barnier declared that he would rule out the possibility of resigning and wanted to plan beyond the end of 2024 with inclusion on the list “the topics on which [il a] I want to act (…) : the daily security of the French, immigration control and the prohibition of illegal immigration, work that must pay more than benefits, with a single social subsidy, democracy and perhaps the project that many parties want for representation proportional, for example.”
A high-risk meeting will be held on Wednesday on the Social Security financing project, given a possible activation by the Prime Minister of article 49.3 on this text. Received on Monday by Michel Barnier in the framework of a series of interviews with the leaders of the parliamentary groups, the leaders of the deputies of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, and of France insoumise, Mathilde Panot, reiterated their threat to censor to the government. about the budget.
The prime minister also received groups from his coalition government on Tuesday, which itself is divided over tax increases. He still must discuss this week with socialist, environmentalist and communist leaders.
