Ministers gathered at the Elysée for a first Council of the Bayrou government

Eleven days after his appointment, things are getting serious for François Bayrou’s government, which is not certain to last longer than Michel Barnier’s.

The 35 ministers of the Bayrou government met for the first time in a Council of Ministers, this Friday at 10 a.m. On the agenda of this meeting, in the presence of the President of the Republic, there will ultimately be no « emergency » bill for Mayotte. It will be presented next week. The agenda is therefore likely to be light at the table of the Elysée.

As every New Year, the members of the government will first go to Place Beauvau, to the Ministry of the Interior, for the traditional back-to-school breakfast. Then they will go on foot to present their wishes at the Elysée at 10 a.m.

This meeting will provide an opportunity to understand the broad outlines of the general policy statement that François Bayrou will deliver to Parliament on January 14. It is also the reunion between Emmanuel Macron and his ally from the MoDem, a duo that experienced significant tensions when the President hesitated to appoint him to Matignon. Their working relationship should be closely scrutinized.

« Reconciliation, action, stability » are the three wishes expressed by François Bayrou, who would like to last longer in his post than Michel Barnier, who stayed only three months. However, like him, he is deprived of a majority in the National Assembly and the political balances of his center-right government are very similar to those of the previous team.

A gap that he hopes to compensate for with the presence of political heavyweights, such as former Prime Ministers Elisabeth Borne (Education) and Manuel Valls (Overseas), and ministers who have, according to a government source, « a history » with the left, such as Eric Lombard (Economy) or François Rebsamen (Regional Planning).

Having remained in the background under the short tenure of Michel Barnier, a right-wing opponent, the president seemed to put more of his two cents into the work of the government, during his New Year’s greetings to the French. The new government « must be able to take a path of compromise to act », France must « continue to be attractive », « work and innovate more », « continue to create jobs » and « ensure its growth by maintaining its finances », he urged.

Matignon denies any enmity with the Elysée. François Bayrou, « is not the man of small barbs » against the president, supports his entourage. « Michel Barnier was in the standoff, » adds a government source. The mayor of Pau sees it as a relationship of « co-responsibility. » The president has so far refrained from qualifying it.

Is François Bayrou’s government really aiming for a public deficit of 5.4% of GDP in 2025, higher than the 5% sought by the previous government? This is what the newspaper Le Monde claimed, citing « concordant sources. »

« I’m not going to answer that question, » the spokesperson deflects, referring to upcoming « negotiations. » But « the goal remains to reduce the debt. »

« The only way we are trying to find is to engage in discussions with each of the political groups, » says Sophie Primas. « We have been in an unstable situation for a year, we have been putting off reforms… », she laments.

As Sophie Primas points out, Emmanuel Macron called on his new government to be « audacious ». « The President of the Republic has committed to unity. He also insisted on the fact that we must be audacious and break away from the usual paths. He insisted a lot on the fact that nothing would be simple », she reports.

« I will ask you to decide », Emmanuel Macron mentioned during his New Year’s wishes. Sophie Primas is asked about the form of this consultation. « The consultation of the French can take very different forms », she replies. We will therefore not know more today, especially since Emmanuel Macron « did not talk about it at the Council of Ministers ».

The meeting will provide an opportunity to understand the broad outlines of the general policy statement that François Bayrou will deliver to Parliament on January 14. To prepare this speech at the same time as the budget, the Ministers of Economy and Budget have begun to hear from the political groups. Regarding the Social Security budget, Catherine Vautrin (Work, Health, Solidarity and Family) announced this Friday morning that she would meet with Amélie de Montchalin (Public Accounts) with all the parliamentary groups in the Assembly and the Senate with a view to building a project. « We need a text that authorizes us to go further », than simply « renewing » the budget from the previous year, she insisted on RTL, ahead of the Council of Ministers. « If we don’t have a budget, we won’t be able to take care of the residents (of the) neighborhoods », stressed the new Minister of the City, Juliette Méadel, on TF1. In addition to the lack of support in the Assembly, the new Prime Minister is starting his term with a historically low popularity rating, according to the Ifop-Journal du Dimanche barometer published on December 22. His arrival at Matignon was marked by a lively controversy when he went to Pau to participate in his city’s municipal council instead of participating in a crisis meeting on Mayotte, devastated by a hurricane the day after his appointment.

The menu is likely to be light at the table of the Elysée on Friday, where a defense and national security council will also be held in the morning. « It’s the installation, the moment will be mainly political » summarizes a ministerial source, who considers it « rare » for a government to ask itself, from its first meeting, « if it will last ». The meeting will allow us to understand the broad outlines of the general policy statement that François Bayrou will deliver before Parliament on January 14. A new government spokesperson, former Republican senator Sophie Primas, will report on these meetings.

©2025 – IMPACT EUROPEAN

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Gabriel MIHAI

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