Latest news with #NationalRally
Morocco World
16 minutes ago
- Business
- Morocco World
France Appoints Vallaud-Belkacem to Senior Audit Role Amid Accusations of Political Deal
Rabat — French-Moroccan Najat Vallaud-Belkacem now holds one of the highest positions in France's financial oversight institution. On July 16, during the weekly cabinet meeting, the government officially named her senior advisor at the Court of Audit, following a proposal from Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The timing of the decision and the circumstances surrounding it have sparked criticism and fueled doubts over political motives. Just a few days earlier, the former minister suggested she was preparing for a competitive exam to reach the post. Her sudden arrival at the highest level has prompted questions. For many in the opposition, the move looks less like a result of merit and more like a convenient gesture. Thomas Ménagé, a member of parliament from the far-right National Rally, wrote on social media, 'Congratulations to Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, who joins the Court of Audit directly at the top rank after passing an exam that does not exist.' Vallaud-Belkacem, who previously served as minister of education, rejected any suggestion of favoritism. 'Not very hard to find out that I voluntarily used the exam path,' she wrote on the social media platform X. In a sharper tone, she added, 'Keep throwing dirt, something always sticks.' Pierre Moscovici, president of the Court of Audit, came to her defense. A former minister himself, he insisted the procedure followed proper protocol and was overseen by an independent commission. 'I am not her friend,' he said. 'I was her colleague.' The appointment lands as the government faces one of its most difficult political moments. François Bayrou is trying to push through an ambitious savings plan worth €43.8 billion. The proposal includes unpopular measures such as freezing social welfare payments and cancelling public holidays. With pressure mounting in parliament, the executive appears to need support, or silence, from the socialists. For Vallaud-Belkacem, the new position marks a return to public office. For her critics, it raises old suspicions about how power moves in Paris. Tags: FranceFrance economyNajat Vallaudpolitics
Sydney Morning Herald
15 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The radical scheme to slash France's public holidays
The move has incensed workers after years of dispute over other controversial measures, including increasing the pension age from 62 to 64. Macron signed the pension changes into law in April 2023, but his plan provoked street protests, leading Bayrou to declare in January this year that he would renegotiate the policy. After the talks with unions and employers, however, the prime minister continued with the overall proposal, despite adjusting some details. The French plan means that most workers born after January 1, 1968, would not receive the pension until they turn 64. In Australia, workers born after January 1, 1957, do not receive the aged pension until they turn 67. In a sign of the anxiety about debt, Bayou this week urged voters to accept a total freeze in spending – something that requires unpopular cuts to future spending and is rarely achieved in any Western democracy, including Australia. 'The rule is to spend no more in 2026 than in 2025. No less, no more,' he said. Gross public debt has reached 114 per cent of gross domestic product in France, the third-highest level in the European Union after Greece and Italy. It is 62 per cent in Germany. Although the next presidential election is not until 2027, Le Pen and the National Rally have seized on the plan to blame Macron for budget cuts and demand tougher migration policies instead. Le Pen played a key role in removing the previous prime minister, and her National Rally party has the largest bloc in the National Assembly, giving it the capacity to oust Bayrou over the budget if the left-wing parties support the move. National Rally president Jordan Bardella is positioning himself as the party's candidate for the presidency at the next election, when Macron cannot run due to term limits in the constitution. Le Pen is barred from seeking public office for five years after a court found her and some members of her party guilty in March of misappropriation of funds. In another challenge for the right-wing party, police raided the National Rally head office on Wednesday over allegations of donation law violations. The upheaval in France highlights the financial malady for major European nations when their debts deepen but leaders are stymied by political blowback when they attempt to limit spending. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer abandoned plans to scale back welfare spending on July 1 after dozens of his Labour Party backbenchers rebelled against the plans, gutting the projected savings.
The Age
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
The radical scheme to slash France's public holidays
The move has incensed workers after years of dispute over other controversial measures, including increasing the pension age from 62 to 64. Macron signed the pension changes into law in April 2023, but his plan provoked street protests, leading Bayrou to declare in January this year that he would renegotiate the policy. After the talks with unions and employers, however, the prime minister continued with the overall proposal, despite adjusting some details. The French plan means that most workers born after January 1, 1968, would not receive the pension until they turn 64. In Australia, workers born after January 1, 1957, do not receive the aged pension until they turn 67. In a sign of the anxiety about debt, Bayou this week urged voters to accept a total freeze in spending – something that requires unpopular cuts to future spending and is rarely achieved in any Western democracy, including Australia. 'The rule is to spend no more in 2026 than in 2025. No less, no more,' he said. Gross public debt has reached 114 per cent of gross domestic product in France, the third-highest level in the European Union after Greece and Italy. It is 62 per cent in Germany. Although the next presidential election is not until 2027, Le Pen and the National Rally have seized on the plan to blame Macron for budget cuts and demand tougher migration policies instead. Le Pen played a key role in removing the previous prime minister, and her National Rally party has the largest bloc in the National Assembly, giving it the capacity to oust Bayrou over the budget if the left-wing parties support the move. National Rally president Jordan Bardella is positioning himself as the party's candidate for the presidency at the next election, when Macron cannot run due to term limits in the constitution. Le Pen is barred from seeking public office for five years after a court found her and some members of her party guilty in March of misappropriation of funds. In another challenge for the right-wing party, police raided the National Rally head office on Wednesday over allegations of donation law violations. The upheaval in France highlights the financial malady for major European nations when their debts deepen but leaders are stymied by political blowback when they attempt to limit spending. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer abandoned plans to scale back welfare spending on July 1 after dozens of his Labour Party backbenchers rebelled against the plans, gutting the projected savings.
New Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
France may axe 2 holidays to trim debt
PARIS: Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Tuesday he wants to reduce the number of public holidays as part of an urgent plan to tackle what he calls the "curse" of his country's debt. Presenting his outline 2026 Budget plan, Bayrou said two holidays out of France's total of 11 could go, suggesting Easter Monday and May 8, a day that commemorates the end of World War 2 in Europe. After years of overspending, France is on notice to bring its public deficit back under control and cut its sprawling debt, as required under European Union rules. Bayrou said France had to borrow each month to pay pensions or the salaries of civil servants, a state of affairs he called "a curse with no way out". Bayrou had said previously that France's budgetary position needed to be improved by €40 billion next year. But this figure has now risen after President Emmanuel Macron said at the weekend he hoped for additional military spending of €3.5 billion next year to help France cope with international tensions. France has a defence budget of €50.5 billion for this year. Bayrou said the budget deficit would be cut to 4.6 per cent next year, from an estimated 5.4 per cent this year, and would fall below the three per cent required by EU rules by 2029. To achieve this, other measures would include a freeze on spending increases across the board — including on pensions and health spending — except for debt servicing and the defence sector, said Bayrou. "We have become addicted to public spending," Bayrou said, adding that "we are at a critical juncture in our history". 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 in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. "We must never forget the story of Greece," he said. France's debt currently stands at 114 per cent of gross domestic product — compared to 60 per cent allowed under EU rules — the biggest debt mountain in the EU after Greece and Italy. The government hoped to cut the number of civil servants by 3,000 next year and close down "unproductive agencies working on behalf of the state", said the premier. Bayrou said wealthy residents would be made to contribute to the financial effort. "The nation's effort must be equitable," he said. "We will ask little of those who have little, and more of those who have more." Losing two public holidays, meanwhile, would add "several billions of euros" to the state's coffers, said Bayrou. But the proposed measure sparked an immediate response from Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally. 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",
Spectator
a day ago
- Business
- Spectator
Bayrou will regret his plan to scrap French bank holidays
The Prime Minister of France announced his plan on Tuesday to balance the country's books: his most eye-catching intention is to scrap two public holidays. In addressing the nation, Francois Bayrou warned that France's out-of-control public spending has left the country in 'mortal danger'. It was imperative to reduce the public deficit by 43.8 billion euros by 2026, explained Bayrou. 'It's the last stop before the cliff, before we are crushed by the debt. It's late, but there is still time.' The holidays Bayrou wants to jettison are Easter Monday and 8 May (VE Day), two of the eleven annual public holidays in France. Britain has eight. Mr Bayrou said Easter Monday 'has no religious significance', a view that might be contested by some. Meanwhile, his desire to scrap VE Day was denounced by Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, who said it was 'a direct attack on our history, our roots, and on working France'. This is a familiar theme for Bardella. In a speech on 1 May this year, he declared that 'the France that works feels like it is being sacrificed'. He is attempting to pitch his party as the one that represents the hard-working, law-abiding, tax-paying people of France, as opposed to the left, which props up the welfare state, and Emmanuel Macron's centrists, who are interested in keeping the rich and the retired in the manner to which they have become accustomed. Certainly, a growing number in France believe that too many people are milking the country's generous social welfare model. A survey earlier this year found that 76 per cent agree that 'there is too much welfare in France', and that the model 'does not encourage people to make an effort'. On Tuesday, Bayrou said everyone must make an effort to save the country from going the same way as Greece fifteen years ago. 'We must never forget the story of Greece,' he warned. France's public debt has reached 114 per cent of the country's GDP, nearly double the 60 per cent limit set by the EU. Only Greece and Italy have more debt among the 27 EU nations. Bayrou's objective is to reduce the public budget deficit from 5.8 per cent of its GDP in 2024 to 4.6 per cent in 2026. As well as scrapping two public holidays, Bayrou announced a freeze on the scales used to calculate taxes, welfare benefits and pensions in 2026. There will also be a freeze on government spending, except for the military budget. On Sunday, Macron unveiled a plan to boost defence spending in the next two years by €6.5 billion (£5.6 billion). Bayrou has also told local authorities to reduce their spending in 2026 by €5.3 billion (£4.6 billion) and there will be a €5 billion (£4.3 billion) reduction in the country's healthcare budget. The Prime Minister also said that the retired would be required to do their bit. This will entail abolishing the 10 per cent tax allowance for pensioners and instead introducing a deduction of €2,000 (£1,730) for all pensioners. The Finance Minister, Eric Lombard, appeared on television last night to explain in more detail some of the new measures: For all pensioners who are at the beginning of the tax scale…their taxation will drop. To compensate, the taxation of pensioners earning more than €20,000 (£17,300) a year will be slightly increased, which is a measure of social justice. Lombard reiterated Bayrou's warning about the gravity of the situation, blaming it on the fact that 'we haven't had a balanced budget in fifty years'. This situation has benefited baby boomers, who in recent years have come to be increasingly resented by millennials. They are held responsible for overseeing the economic, social and cultural decline of France, now enjoying lives of luxury while their children and grandchildren suffer the consequences. This is a generalisation but one with a kernel of truth: this resentment has crystallised in recent months into a social media meme: 'It's Nicolas Who Pays'. Nicolas is a millennial in full-time employment who pays exorbitant taxes in order that boomers can enjoy a comfortable old age. This has led to what many in France now describe as a 'war of generations' between the two age groups. Is it boomers who are to blame or successive governments who have pandered to the most powerful demographic? One in three registered voters in France are retirees, and one in two are those who vote in elections. In the last two presidential elections, the over 65s have been key to Macron's success; in 2017, 80 per cent voted for him over Marine Le Pen. It would be political suicide to alienate this demographic. But Bayrou has also taken a huge gamble in once again demanding a sacrifice from 'Nicolas' and his generation. The National Rally and the left have both expressed opposition to his plan and threatened to pass a vote of no confidence in the government. It's not just France in 'mortal danger'. So is Bayrou.
