Latest news with #JordanBardella
Russia Today
7 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
France to raise taxes on the rich
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has announced plans for a new tax on the country's wealthiest citizens as part of a sweeping austerity package designed to rein in public debt and cut the budget deficit. The measures include a 'solidarity contribution' aimed at high earners to help bridge a €43.8 billion ($47.5 billion) budget shortfall. A levy already in place targeting individuals making over €250,000 ($270,000) will now likely be expanded. 'The effort of the nation must be equitable. We must ask little of those who have little, and more of those who can do more,' Bayrou said on Tuesday. France's budget deficit hit 5.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) last year, nearly double the official EU limit of 3% of GDP. Among Bayrou's more contentious proposals is scrapping two national public holidays — Easter Monday and Victory Day on May 8 — to boost productivity. Right-wing leader Jordan Bardella condemned the proposal as 'a direct attack on our history and roots.' Other cost-cutting measures in Bayrou's plan include capping healthcare expenditures and freezing pensions and social benefits at their 2025 levels. Defense spending, however, will increase. France's military budget is slated to rise to €64 billion ($69 billion) in 2027, double what the country paid in 2017. President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled an additional €6.5 billion ($7 billion) in defense funding over the next two years, citing heightened threats to European security. A new defense review has warned of a potential 'major war' in Europe by 2030, listing Moscow among the top threats. The Kremlin has dismissed claims that it is planning to attack the West, and has accused the NATO states of using Russia as a pretext for military expansion. France's public debt has reached €3.3 trillion ($3.6 trillion), equivalent to around 114% of GDP. The left-wing parties have accused the government of prioritizing military spending over social welfare, fearing that essential public needs are being sacrificed under the guise of security. Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of La France Insoumise party, has called for Bayrou's resignation, saying 'these injustices cannot be tolerated any longer.' Bayrou must secure parliamentary backing for his proposals before presenting the full budget plan in October. A new defense review has warned of a potential 'major war' in Europe by 2030, listing Moscow among the top threats. The Kremlin has dismissed claims that it is planning to attack the West, and has accused the NATO states of using Russia as a pretext for military public debt has reached €3.3 trillion ($3.6 trillion), equivalent to around 114% of GDP. The left-wing parties have accused the government of prioritizing military spending over social welfare, fearing that essential public needs are being sacrificed under the guise of security. Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of La France Insoumise party, has called for Bayrou's resignation, saying 'these injustices cannot be tolerated any longer.'Bayrou must secure parliamentary backing for his proposals before presenting the full budget plan in October.
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
French PM proposes cutting national holidays to cut debt
Losing two public holidays, meanwhile, would add 'several billions of euros' to the state's coffers, Bayrou said. But the proposed measure sparked an immediate protest from Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally. Holiday protests He said abolishing two holidays, 'especially ones as filled with meaning as Easter Monday and May 8 is a direct attack on our history, our roots and on labour in France'. The party's parliamentary leader, Marine Le Pen, warned that 'if Francois Bayrou does not revise his plan, we will vote for a no-confidence motion'. Leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon of the France Unbowed party called for Bayrou's resignation, saying 'these injustices cannot be tolerated any longer'. His party colleague Mathilde Panot accused Bayrou of starting 'a social war'. Bayrou had said previously that France's budgetary position needed to be improved by €40 billion ($78.09b) next year. But this figure has risen after President Emmanuel Macron said at the weekend he wanted €3.5 billion ($6.8b) of extra military spending next year because of rising international tensions. France has a defence budget of €50.5 billion ($98.5b) for 2025. Bayrou said the budget deficit would be cut to 4.6% next year, from an estimated 5.4% this year, and would fall below the 3% required by EU rules by 2029. To achieve this, other measures would include a general freeze on spending increases – including on pensions and health – except for debt servicing and the defence sector, Bayrou said. 'We have become addicted to public spending,' Bayrou said. 'We are at a critical juncture in our history'. Remember Greece The Prime Minister even held up Greece as a cautionary tale, an EU member whose spiralling debt and deficits pushed it to the brink of dropping out of the eurozone after the 2008 financial crisis. 'We must never forget the story of Greece,' he said. France's debt stands at 114% of GDP – compared to 60% allowed under EU rules – the biggest debt mountain in the EU after Greece and Italy. The Government hopes to cut the number of civil servants by 3000 next year, and close down 'unproductive agencies working on behalf of the state', the Premier said. Bayrou said wealthy residents would be made to contribute to the financial effort. 'The nation's effort must be equitable,' Bayrou said. 'We will ask little of those who have little, and more of those who have more.' - Agence France-Presse
Euractiv
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Inside the growing judicial cloud over France's far-right party
France's far-right Rassemblement National (RN) is entering the political summer under a cloud of deepening judicial scrutiny. From alleged misuse of EU funds to questionable campaign financing, the party aiming for presidency in 2027 faces mounting legal headaches, many of which strike at the heart of its financial and political machinery. Top figures on the far right, including the party's president and MEP Jordan Bardella, have characterised the various legal proceedings as politically motivated, describing one of the cases as "clear harassment' against the party." The following is a breakdown of some of the key cases dogging Marine Le Pen's movement – past, pending, and future. At the time of publication, the party and one of its spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment. Ongoing investigation Suspect financing in the 2022 election campaigns (France) French prosecutors raided RN offices on Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into the financing of the party's 2022 presidential and legislative campaigns, as well as its 2024 European election run. The probe started in 2024, after an audit by France's watchdog on political funding raised red flags about RN's financial flows. Prosecutors are looking into whether illegal private loans, inflated or fake invoices, later submitted for state reimbursement, were used to fund the party's campaigns, according to the public prosecutor. No charges have been filed so far, and all entities and individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A ruling of illegal campaign financing could undermine RN's efforts to present itself as a credible governing party and gather more financial support in the future. 'It's all meant to intimidate our lenders,' said party treasurer Kevin Pfeffer. The European Parliament group's money problem (EU) The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), tasked with investigating serious crimes affecting the bloc's financial interests, confirmed on Tuesday that it had launched an investigation into suspected misuse of EU funds, as first reported by Euractiv. An internal audit by Parliament services triggered the probe after identifying alleged fraudulent use of EU allowances to pay individuals or associations close to RN, yet unrelated to parliamentary work, between 2019 and 2024. As the investigation remains in its early stages, no charges have been filed at this time. The risks are both reputational and financial, as prosecutors could seek to reclaim over €4.3 million in allegedly misused funds – a serious threat to a party already burdened with debt. Le Pen, who told French radio RTL she was not familiar with the case, said: 'There may be administrative disagreements with the European Parliament,' and 'we are going to try, once again, to solve them." The parliamentary assistants' case: The high-stakes appeal This is the most politically damaging case, which began with allegations of fund misuse for parliamentary assistants spotted by the European fraud buster OLAF. It triggered a wide-ranging investigation by France's financial prosecutor in 2016 and resulted in several convictions in 2025, including a four-year prison sentence and a ban on running for office for Le Pen . If the ruling is upheld, it would block her from the 2027 presidential race. Appeals are ongoing, with a final decision expected by summer 2026. Le Pen also appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming procedural flaws and political bias, but her complaint was rejected on Wednesday. Campaign kits: A closed, precedent-setting case In 2024, the party received definitive condemnations over its use of standardised "campaign kits" sold to candidates during previous elections. Prosecutors deemed the setup a vehicle for illicit financing practices, resulting in final rulings that now weigh heavily on the party's legal legacy. The case also drew attention to long-time RN ally Frédéric Chatillon. According to an internal audit seen by Euractiv, one of his companies was among those flagged for suspicious payments in the EU's recent parliamentary money probe. The audit does not name him personally. Under the French justice system, repeated offences can lead to harsher potential penalties. Defamation, hate speech and other cases The RN and its members are also frequent targets – and sometimes initiators – of defamation suits, and legal complaints related to hate-related offences or misuse of public money, even as Le Pen has been working to clean up the French far right's image. In June, the spokesperson for the RN and MP Laurent Jacobelli appeared before the Thionville criminal court for having called Macronist MP Belkhir Belhaddad a 'scumbag' in October 2023, after asking him for news about Hamas. Jacobelli acknowledged "clumsy" remarks and said racism was against his philosophy. In recent weeks, MP Caroline Parmentier, a long-standing close ally of Le Pen, has been in the spotlight for having published, over 30 years, racist, antisemitic and homophobic comments in Présent, a far-right daily associated with Pétain, a collaborationist leader of Vichy France during WWII, and supported a Belgian Nazi. She denied the accusations and said her quotes were taken out of context. Last May, it was Daniel Grenon, an MP expelled from RN in October 2024 for stating that dual nationals of Maghrebian origins had 'no place in the highest echelons' of the state, was convicted of public insult and incitement to discrimination. Grenon appealed the ruling. Former MEP Maxette Pirbakas received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from public office for embezzling €57,000 from a Guadeloupe agricultural union. She was convicted of breach of trust, forgery, and using false invoices and appealed the decision, denying wrongdoing. In a separate case, she was ordered to pay over €160,000 in unpaid wages to her assistant. She said she would appeal and denounced a political and partial decision. Fréjus mayor David Rachline, a former campaign director for Le Pen and a RN vice-president, is set to stand trial in September 2025 for alleged favouritism and corruption. His home was searched by financial authorities in March. He denied all wrongdoing. Florent de Kersauson, RN regional councillor and former parliamentary candidate, is also facing charges of breach of trust and asset misappropriation. Prosecutors are seeking a two-year suspended and ineligibility sentence, with a verdict due in September. Nicoletta Ionta contributed to reporting. (mm)
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Police raid headquarters of French far-right National Rally party
Police have raided the headquarters of France's far-right National Rally (RN) and seized documents as part of an investigation into alleged illegal campaign financing that was denounced by the party's leader, Jordan Bardella, as 'a harassment campaign'. The raid came a day after EU financial prosecutors in Brussels said they had launched a separate investigation into the alleged misuse of €4.3m by the former far-right Identity & Democracy (ID) group in the European parliament, which included the RN. It also represented a fresh setback for the party after its figurehead, Marine Le Pen, was convicted in March of embezzling EU funds and barred from running for office for five years, effectively scuppering her hopes of running in 2027 presidential elections. Bardella, 29, whom Le Pen has asked to prepare to campaign in her place, said on social media on Wednesday: 'RN headquarters – including the offices of its leaders – are being searched by about 20 police officers from the financial brigade.' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. Police and investigating magistrates had seized 'emails, documents and accounting' relating to 'the last regional, presidential, parliamentary and European elections', he said, calling the operation 'a serious attack on pluralism and democratic choice'. The Paris prosecutor's office said the raid was part of an investigation launched in July last year that sought to establish whether campaigns in 2022 and 2024 were funded through 'illegal loans from individuals to the party or to RN candidates'. The investigation would also look into allegations the party had included inflated or fake invoices in its claims for the state to reimburse its campaign finances, the prosecutor's office said. The offices and homes of several company executives were also searched. The investigation involved 'acts that may constitute fraud, loans exceeding campaign finance regulations, aggravated laundering of fraud, forgery and the use of forged documents between 2020 and 2024', the prosecutors said in a statement. The EU prosecutors' investigation follows a European parliament report alleging that the ID group, which included MEPs from RN, Italy's Lega, Germany's AfD and other far-right parties, had improperly spent more than €4m of EU money. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Most of the funds benefited companies linked to a former Le Pen adviser and his wife, a consortium of European newspapers including Le Monde has reported. ID was disbanded last year and has been succeeded by a new group, Patriots for Europe. Le Pen has appealed against her conviction and has said she hopes it will be overturned so she can make her fourth run for the Elysée in two years' time. Polls suggest either she or Bardella would be strongly placed to win.
Euronews
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Patriots look to derail EU climate policy with key parliament file
Key lawmakers from the eurosceptic Patriots for Europe (PfE) group have told Euronews they will seek to use a new power over a key climate file which was confirmed in the European Parliament on Wednesday to derail the EU's climate policy. On Tuesday it was confirmed that the PfE group will lead negotiations on the EU's new climate target to reduce greenhouse emissions by 90% on 1990 levels by 2040, reserving the key role of rapporteur in the Parliament for the file for one of the group's MEPs. On Wednesday an attempt to dilute this power by pushing the file through an emergency procedure which would allow it to be adopted "without a report or on the basis of an oral report by the committee responsible" failed when 379 MEPs voted it down. Wednesday's vote provided confirmation that the third largest group in the Parliament, which has systematically opposed the EU's climate policies, will now be tasked to produce a report and recommend a political line attached to the file. "Now that the vote has dissipated our concerns, we will seek to revise in depth the EU's climate policy, and not just modify on a very small scale some numerical targets," said Fabrice Leggeri, an MEP from the Patriots and France's National Rally. It's not yet clear which PfE MEP will bag the rapporteur role within the Environment committee (ENVI), which will oversee the legislative work, but officials touted that it might be an MEP from France's National Rally, which has a large contingent of lawmakers on the ENVI. The Commission 2024 proposal is aimed at reaffirming the bloc's "determination to tackle climate change" according to the Commission's website, and "shape the path" to climate neutrality, an objective that is at the heart of the EU's Green Deal. Patriots always disliked the Green Deal But far-right parties have lashed out against what they see as the bloc's climate change fanaticism and want to undo recent environmental rules. National Rally leader Jordan Bardella called for the immediate suspension of the EU's Green Deal a few months ago. "We have always opposed this [emission reductions] target, which we consider too difficult to reach for European companies and citizens," Italian League MEP Silvia Sardone told Euronews. "We need to discuss the best outcome for the European citizens, which of course is different from the target pushed so far," added Sardone, the PfE's coordinator in the ENVI committee. The attribution of the file to the PfE results from a complex allotment system, which gives the large groups control over important files. The vote on Wednesday triggered a backlash from leftist and centrist MEPs a day before the chamber is set to vote a motion of censure against Ursula Von der Leyen's Commission. Many lambasted the centre-right European People Party for rejecting the emergency procedure and letting the file rest in the hands of the far right. The outcome of the vote on the emergency procedure was indeed another display of the so-called "Venezuela majority", the occasional alliance between EPP and right wing and far right parties to get crucial files through the Parliament. Prior to the vote, the EPP's Jeroen Lenaers had called the chamber to vote down the emergency procedure as "we just want to work on this proposal with the normal proceedings of this house." But the Greens argued that the Patriots' opposition to the EU's Green Deal will complicate negotiations ahead of the COP30 international climate conference in Brazil and before the United Nations deadline for submitting national climate plans. Sardone from Patriots confirmed that the file will not pass committee stage in time for the law to be approved by November, when the COP30 takes place. "The EPP is joining forces with right-wing extremists, making climate change deniers chief negotiators and putting the health, economy and credibility of the EU at risk," said Lena Schilling, an Austrian green MEP. "The heat waves of the past few weeks have claimed over 2,000 lives in the EU. The climate emergency is now, and it requires immediate action. Instead, the unholy alliance of conservatives and right-wing extremists is slowing [it] down."
