Six months later, Bayrou is still France's PM
One deadline extension after another, and with the help of various stalling tactics, on Friday, June 13, French Prime Minister François Bayrou managed to reach the six-month mark for his time in office, lasting twice as long as his predecessor, Michel Barnier. He marches on, but at a cautious pace. Bayrou still has to operate under the threat of a no-confidence vote in a majority-less Assemblée Nationale.
He put a new "idea" on the table on Monday, June 16, the day before the expected conclusion of a key series of talks on the pensions system: a "bonus" paid to older employees who "choose to stay at work." And he said he was ready to give the negotiators from the labor unions and employers' organizations extra time to examine the proposal. The end of the talks, initially scheduled for May 28, then June 17, was therefore delayed once again. "He's dragging things out," said a Macron-aligned lawmaker.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Israeli attack on Tehran's Evin prison killed 71, Iran judiciary says
An Israeli strike on Tehran's Evin prison during this month's 12-day war killed at least 71 people, Iran 's judiciary said Sunday, days after a ceasefire ended hostilities between the two arch-foes. The strike on Monday destroyed part of the administrative building at Evin, a large, heavily fortified complex in the north of Tehran, which rights groups say holds political prisoners and foreign nationals. "According to official figures, 71 people were killed in the attack on Evin prison," said judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir of the attack, part of the bombardment campaign Israel launched on June 13. According to Jahangir, the victims at Evin included administrative staff, guards, prisoners and visiting relatives as well as people living nearby. Images shared by the judiciary showed destroyed walls, collapsed ceilings, scattered debris, and broken surfaces across waiting areas at the facility. The judiciary said that Evin's medical centre and visiting rooms had been targeted. On Tuesday, a day after the strike, the judiciary said that the Iranian prison authority had transferred inmates out of Evin prison, without specifying their number or identifying them. The inmates at Evin have included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi as well as several French nationals and other foreigners.
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
Lyon owner Textor to take step back from running club after relegation to Ligue 2
"Our success on the pitch has not been matched by our success off the pitch," Textor told AFP in relation to Lyon's plight despite them finishing sixth in Ligue 1 in the season just finished to qualify for Europe. Textor runs Lyon in his role as president of Eagle Football, the group which owns several clubs including Brazilian champions Botafogo. But he admitted that his efforts to reduce Lyon's debts and solve their problems have not been enough to convince French football's financial watchdog, known as the DNCG. He therefore now plans to let others take charge of the club's appeal against their relegation, which was announced last Tuesday. "I am going to pull back from this process. We have some people, some partners that are going to take the step forward," he told AFP in Philadelphia following Botafogo's 1-0 defeat to Palmeiras in the Club World Cup on Saturday. "I am an owner. If I had a coach go into a game five times in a row with a bad tactical plan I'd fire him. "As the majority owner of Eagle Football I am clearly not getting it done at the DNCG so we are going to put some different faces in play, and we are going to work very constructively with the DNCG." Textor has just agreed a deal to sell his 43 percent stake in English Premier League club Crystal Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. The BBC reported that Johnson, a former US ambassador to the United Kingdom, would pay £190 million ($255 million) for the shares. Textor, who bought Lyon in late 2022, believes that money can be reinjected into the seven-time French champions to help their case. Explaining his decision to step back from Lyon, Textor said he felt his "weird" ideas were being misunderstood. "I am the capitalist that shows up with a bunch of weird creative ideas and I don't understand why they are not understood there, and that is hurting the club," he said. "So I know we are going to put some more capital into the equation, we are going to argue for the case we already made, we are going to do it respectfully." Lyon announced on Friday that they had reached an agreement with European football's governing body UEFA to enable them to play in next season's Europa League, provided an appeal against their relegation succeeds. "There is no solvency or sustainability issue with us –- we just cleared the UEFA financial sustainability review," Textor added. "I am very proud of our on-pitch success. We had a relegation squad when I took it took care of the banks, we stabilised the club, we got them back into Europe, and then administratively we get sent down. "It's a pretty odd world for me." © 2025 AFP
Euronews
14 hours ago
- Euronews
Commissioner and MEPs in Budapest to challenge Orban's Pride ban
Around 70 MEPs from the liberal, green and left wing of the European Parliament joined the Belgian equality commissioner in Budapest on Saturday afternoon, as thousands of protestors marched through the Hungarian capital, waving rainbow and EU flags. The MEPs were primarily from the liberal Renew Europe, Socialists & Democrats, the Left and Greens groups, joined by one Irish European People's Party (EPP) MEP, Maria Walsh. Tens of thousands joined the march, with organisers claiming as many as 200,000 were on the streets. 'Long before I got into politics, and long before I leave, I'll be showing up for Pride. For me and for my values, Pride is incredibly important. I only wish more were here, but I joined together with over 70 other MEPs from across political parties,' Walsh told Euronews. 'It's not about one party versus the other party. It's about one human being showing up for another,' she added, when quizzed on the fact that there was no EPP delegation with her. 'I would have preferred that more EPP people would have joined the event. I think it's disappointing because this is an important mobilisation,' the President of Renew Europe, Valérie Hayer, told Euronews. 'We have noted, since the start of this term, that the EPP is wavering between the democratic forces and the extreme right. It's a pity that the EPP doesn't understand who their adversaries are," said French socialist MEP Emma Rafowicz. A notable EPP absence was Hungarian opposition leader and MEP Peter Magyar. His centre-right party Tisza party is currently leading the governing Fidesz party in opinion polls for the 2026 parliamentary election. Magyar was not in Budapest, avoiding taking a stance of the issue of the thorny issue of the Pride march, which a recent survey indicated divides opinion in the country, with 47% of Hungarians opposed to it taking place. However, earlier in the day he called for a peaceful protest. 'I ask everyone not to fall for any provocation. If anyone gets hurt today in Budapest, if anyone comes to harm, Viktor Orbán alone will be responsible,' Magyar posted to his social platforms. European Commissioner for equality Hadja Lahbib held meetings with local civil society organisations on Friday. However, she did not show up at the march, telling Euronews that she instead would be attending meetings in the city. Risking fines and jail time In March, the Hungarian parliament approved a bill that in effect banned the gay pride march. As the legislation states, this event could violate Hungary's so-called child protection law, adopted earlier in the country, prohibiting any portrayal of same sex relationships for minors. The European Commission views this as a violation of its community law and has referred the case to the European Court of Justice. Conservative and far-right MEPs in the European Parliament defended Orbán's move to ban Pride events, saying the EU should not interfere in Hungary's internal affairs. However, the mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony from the Green party, allowed the parade to go ahead by re-labeling it as a 'Day of Freedom' celebration, officially organized by the city council. This legal loophole allowed the thousands of people to march through the streets of Budapest in sweltering heat, protesting not just the ban Pride ban, but Viktor Orban's government generally. Alongside pride flags and the loud music, there were banners displaying the prime minister. 'I am not a big fan of Pride events, but this extends beyond Pride. This is about freedom too, because Hungary, a European Union country, banning Pride, is simply not on," one attendee told Euronews of his motivations for attending. Security was tight, with security cameras installed on lamp posts in the city centre and hundreds of police officers deployed at key spots of the parade, keeping watch over protesters and ensuring there were no clashes. Attendees were warned by the Hungarian Ministry of Justice that parade organisers risked up to a year in prison, and that those marching could be fined €500. The police have been encouraged by the government to use facial recognition technology to identify the attendees, although Karácsony insists that nobody will face punishment for their participation in the march. Anti-LGBT protesters also assembled in Budapest The nationalist 64 Counties Youth Movement held a legally sanctioned event on the same square in Budapest where Pride participants later gathered. Meanwhile, the Our Homeland Movement, a small far-right parliamentary party, organised a police-approved counter-march along the same route as the municipal Pride event. However, during the day the far-right protest was blocked by a strong police presence to avoid conflict. No major incidents were reported by the evening, although Euronews witnessed a confrontation between a small group of the 64 Counties Youth Movement – holding a banner comparing LGBT people to paedophiles and the Pride March. 'We are here because we want to warn the people of Hungary about the LGBT paedophilia, it is a really danger for our children,' one anti-LGBT protester told Euronews. Another anti-Pride protester tried to stop the march by standing in front of the truck leading the parade. He was jeered by the crowd and removed by the police.
