The French Prime Minister acknowledged this Sunday that France is in a “very serious” financial situationin an interview with the France 2 channel, in which he assured that he will protect all legislation on abortion, same-sex marriage and medically assisted procreation.
Admitting that France is facing a “very serious” situation, with a public debt of more than three billion euros, Michel Barnier assured that he will not “raise taxes any further to all French people, who already pay more taxes than other European citizens.”
The Prime Minister added that he will not raise taxes “neither on the most modest, nor on the workers, nor on the middle classes”. However, he said that will not exclude “the richest from participating in the national effort that will need to be done.”
France finds itself in a delicate financial situation, with a public deficit that increased last year to 5.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), when the budget forecast was 4.9%.
The Treasury anticipated that the country should end this year with a deficit of 5.6%a value far from the 3% limit recommended by European rules, and with a debt of 112%.
The European Commission opened an excessive deficit procedure against France in July, and the outgoing government had set itself the goal of reducing the deficit to 3% of GDP by 2027.
Michel Barnier recalled that, as he had said when he took office on 5 September, he does not want to “worsen the fiscal or ecological debt”. This means that “a collective effort must be made to control public spending“.
In the same interview, Michel Barnier, from the right-wing conservative party The Republicans, assured that he will protect all legislation on abortion, same-sex marriage and medically assisted procreation, given the doubts that have arisen due to the presence in his Government of ministers who oppose these rights.
“There is no ambiguity,” he said when asked about the situation, reiterating that these laws “will be fully preserved,” and he will be the guarantor of that.
The doubts arose mainly due to the presence in the Government of Laurence Garnier, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, who was even mentioned as the new Minister for the Family, but ended up taking on the role of Secretary of State for Consumption.
The Prime Minister also defended the appointment of Bruno Retailleau, another well-known figure from the more conservative right of The Republicans, as Minister of Internal Affairs, and therefore responsible for immigration policy.
Asked whether Retailleau’s choice was a gesture to gain the support of Marie Le Pen’s far-right, Michel Barnier replied that it was “a gesture to the French”.
He then justified a change in migration policy, so that there is “the capacity to integrate foreigners” and that involves “not accepting everyone”. “Look at what the Germans do”, he said, highlighting that it is “a social-democratic chancellor”, Olaf Scholz, who is trying to establish greater control over immigration, as is “the Danish socialist government”.
Michel Barnier argued that “this issue of immigration must be treated more rigorously” and also “with humanity”.
A former European commissioner and former right-wing minister, Barnier took office as prime minister on September 5, succeeding Gabriel Attal, after 60 days of deadlock following the legislative elections in July, which gave rise to a very fragmented National Assembly.
Barnier, 73, will now have to face a very divided parliament.in which he can only count on the support of the three groups of the presidential majority and the Republicans.
The left, which has 193 seats out of 577 in the National Assembly, has announced the presentation of a motion of censure which it wants to be voted on as soon as possible, as soon as the prime minister makes his general policy speech in early October.
For the left to overthrow the Executive, it would need the support of the far right, which has 142 deputies and which has stated that it will wait for the presentation of the political program to decide whether or not to allow Barnier to continue.
On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on French political parties to let Michel Barnier work.
Lusa/End
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
