"Macron is suffering"

Prime Minister Barnier steals the show

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier speaks next to a screen with a picture of French President Emmanuel Macron during the political television program "L'Evenement" ("The Event").

(Bild: APA Pool/Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

For a long time, France's head of state Emmanuel Macron made decisions largely on his own - earning him nicknames such as "Jupiter" or "hyper-president". Since his camp's election failures, however, he has been pushed further and further into the background. 

Conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who heads a minority government, is clearly distancing himself and stealing the show.

Macron "only" a moderator
At the most recent cabinet meeting, at which the new government's draft budget was presented, Macron confined himself to the unusual role of a moderator, merely giving the others the floor. Sitting around the table were numerous ministers whom he would have preferred not to appoint. "This is not my government," Macron emphasized in the small circle. He was "ashamed" of some of the members of the government, he said, referring to the particularly conservative ones among them.

Emmanuel Macron no longer has much to say alongside Prime Minister Michel Barnier ...

(Bild: APA Pool/AFP/Thomas SAMSON)

"Government governs, president presides"
The meeting was probably also unpleasant for the President because it marked the departure from his previous policy: Macron had avoided new corporate taxes for seven years in order to make France attractive as a business location. However, Barnier pulled the emergency brake in view of the ailing state finances: large companies and wealthy private households will have to pay a special tax in future.

"The government governs, the president presides", Barnier emphasized immediately after taking office. In fact, the strong position that Macron and his predecessors have held to date is not enshrined in the constitution, but has evolved over the decades.

Macron's trip to Berlin on the day after Barnier's government statement on October 1 seemed like a welcome opportunity to turn his back on the political debate in his own country. It may also have been good for Macron to talk to German Chancellor Scholz about the experience of receiving criticism from within his own ranks.

"The government governs, the president presides", said Barnier immediately after taking office.

(Bild: APA Pool/AFP/Ludovic MARIN)

MEPs switch camps
In recent weeks, four MPs from the president's party have already switched camps. Many in his party still resent Macron for calling new elections, which led to the loss of their relative majority.

"Trust in the president has suffered enormously," says one of the MPs from the Macron camp, which recently renamed itself once again. "We don't even know what we're called anymore. That says a lot about our identity problem," said former minister Aurore Bergé recently.

Macron puts "European level" first
In Berlin, Macron spoke publicly for the first time about the role he wants to play in the future. "In future, the European level will be my top priority," he said. There are still many opportunities there to "boost growth and exploit potential". This sounded as if he was mainly trying to cheer himself up.

In fact, foreign and defense policy in France is considered a "domaine réservé" - i.e. the president's own area of responsibility. Macron quickly made it clear that he would continue to represent France at EU summits - although it would theoretically have been possible to leave this to Barnier.

Macron and Barnier are also making their differences clear through symbolic acts. For example, Macron proposed the previous Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné as EU Commissioner without having discussed this with Barnier.

French President Emmanuel Macron (center left) and Prime Minister Michel Barnier (center right) on 23 September 2024 at the first cabinet meeting of the new government at the Élysée Palace in Paris

(Bild: APA Pool/AFP/POOL/Christophe Ena Press. All rights reserved.)

"New balance"
For his part, Barnier decided to move the press conference after the Council of Ministers from the Elysée to the Prime Minister's Office - a break with decades of tradition. "This illustrates the new balance of the institutions," he explained.

Given the unsatisfactory situation in his country, it seems understandable that Macron now wants to live out his passion for the EU. However, French influence in Brussels has waned. This is mainly due to the desolate budget situation, which is why the EU has once again initiated deficit proceedings against France.

And it also has to do with Franco-German disagreements - with regard to punitive tariffs or free trade agreements. These differences are slowing down Franco-German initiatives.

"Macron is suffering"
"Macron is suffering," said someone close to him recently. "He has decided to withdraw - but it's costing him dearly."

It is unlikely that Macron will be satisfied with a representative role like that of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for the time being. But Macron has always been better with Steinmeier than with Scholz. It is therefore possible that the German President will ultimately become a role model for his French counterpart after all.