PARIS — French Prime Minister François Bayrou wants to know who is in and who is out. After days of meetings with party leaders, Bayrou has set a deadline of Friday for each of them to tell him whether they want to join his government, tacitly back it, or topple it. “The government must be presented during the weekend, at any rate before Christmas,” Bayrou said in an interview with France 2 on Thursday evening. One week after he was appointed, the new prime minister is still trying to convince French parties to support the coalition government he is trying…
Author: Giorgio Leali
PARIS — Could it be a case of all bark but no bite? Paris has threatened to use all its heft to ensure the sell-off of part of Sanofi’s over-the-counter business remains producing certain medicines in France. But, during a visit to Sanofi’s factory in Normandy on Monday, France’s economy and industry ministers seemed more focused on reassuring workers and citizens that they had little to fear from the takeover by American fund CD&R, than threatening to block the deal. In previous controversial takeovers, France’s powerful economy ministry didn’t hesitate to threaten a veto in the name of French interests.…
PARIS — Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she wants to keep the Olympic rings affixed to the Eiffel Tower so that the “festive spirit” of a successful Games lives on long after their conclusion. Her rivals, however, see an attempt to glue a campaign poster onto one of the world’s most iconic monuments ahead of the next mayoral election in 2026, which will pit Hidalgo against Rachida Dati, the outgoing culture minister and current mayor of the arrondissement where the Eiffel Tower is located. David Alphand, a right-wing Parisian city councilor and Dati ally, said that Hidalgo “has been doing…
PARIS — France’s freshly-appointed Prime Minister Michel Barnier has hinted at possible tax raises to stop the country’s debt from growing. “I don’t want to raise the debt of our country,” Barnier told television network TF1 on Friday evening in his first interview since his appointment, stressing that France should stop adding financial burden to future generations. Barnier made the case for greater “justice” in France’s taxation system, but declined to further elaborate on whether that meant higher taxes for companies or wealthier individuals. “The French want and need more justice,” he said, noting that, in parallel, his government will…