Will Macronism outlive Macron?
At the end of the following cabinet meeting, Primas, clearly embarrassed, requested a private conversation with the president. She didn't mean to say that Macronism was living out its final days, she told him, she simply wanted to remind people that its champion would not be able to run again in 2027, which would raise the question of "how to rebuild for the future." President Emmanuel Macron proved magnanimous: "We just have to be careful to maintain the balance within the government," which is made up of Macronists, centrists and conservatives.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
France unveils new defense road map to address geopolitical challenges
After several months of work, the French General Secretariat for Defense and National Security published, on Monday, July 14, a new National Strategic Review (RNS) at the request of President Emmanuel Macron. Traditionally, this policy document has allowed the government to adjust its priorities and support new budgetary objectives, as Macron did on Sunday, by announcing a further increase in defense spending through 2027. The previous version of the RNS dated to 2022 and was drafted hastily at the onset of the war in Ukraine. This new edition is intended as the result of more considered – though no less concerned – reflection on the projects to be launched by 2030 to address the state of the world. In his New Year's address to the armed forces in January, Macron had requested that this RNS, only part of which is made public, should outline "the contours of our comprehensive defense and rearmament, including moral rearmament." Six months later, this has been achieved with a document of around 100 pages built around 11 "strategic objectives" – one more than in 2022. At the forefront of these objectives – which remain largely unchanged – are nuclear deterrence, "resilience" challenges for the nation, and the demands of a war economy. But the 2025 version of the RNS adds an 11 th objective: "academic, scientific and technological excellence."
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
France: When defense imperatives meet budgetary realities
The French president's speech to the armed forces on Sunday, July 14 was heavily anticipated in the media: first by an unprecedented press conference from the chief of the armed forces, General Thierry Burkhard, on July 11, and then by an interview with the minister of the armed forces, Sébastien Lecornu, in financial newspaper La Tribune Dimanche on July 12. Emmanuel Macron's address also has particular significance given the context: European rearmament in the face of a world increasingly defined by power struggles and the collapse of international law. As befits the only European nuclear power alongside the United Kingdom, France intends to play its part in this rearmament. Macron highlighted the leadership Paris has shown in recent initiatives to confront the Russian threat, notably alongside London, including in the area of nuclear deterrence. He also strongly emphasized the need for a European dimension to this essential defense effort, arguing for a European pillar within NATO. Facing "an American ally signaling its disengagement," as he acknowledged, "we Europeans now have to ensure our security on our own." Yet, if "to be free, you must be feared," Macron also affirmed that "to be feared, you must be powerful." And power comes at a cost. This is the fundamental limitation of the exercise Macron has pursued since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. His assessment of geostrategic threats is entirely accurate, and his determination to organize France's defense within a European framework is unquestionable. However, France's excessive debt is a clear obstacle to the ambitions he has laid out. Fuse position Even with the significant increase Macron announced Sunday, which will raise the military budget to €64 billion by 2027, France remains well short of the €100 billion figure that Lecornu described in March as the "ideal fighting weight" for meeting new challenges by 2030. For some, the additional €6.5 billion announced for the next two years is not enough. For others, it represents a heavy burden. Prime Minister François Bayrou must take this into account as he finalizes the adjustment plan, which he will present to the press on Tuesday, aiming to reduce the public deficit from 5.8% of gross domestic product this year to 4.6% by 2026. To prevent the appearance of civilian spending sacrificed in favor of defense, the French presidency and prime minister's office jointly stated that the increases in military spending will be funded by "more activity and more production." In addition to predictable cuts in state spending, social security and local government budgets, Bayrou's announcements are expected to include new reforms affecting unemployment insurance and the labor market, with no guarantee they will be any better received than previous budget-saving measures. Every adjustment made in the name of "working more" has been vigorously contested so far. In his address on March 5, Macron warned that facing the world's brutality demanded "reforms" and "courage." Despite growing public awareness, his warning has had little effect on the country's various political forces so far. Cast in the uncomfortable position of a fuse, Bayrou will learn after his announcements on Tuesday whether elected officials have changed their stance, or whether a gap remains between what is happening on the international stage and what is unfolding on the domestic scene.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
Brigitte Macron takes gender libel case to France's highest appeals court
France's first lady has taken her case against two women over claims she used to be man to the highest appeals court after a lower court let them off, her lawyer said Monday, July 14. On Thursday, the Paris appeals court overturned earlier convictions against the two women for spreading false claims – that went viral online – that Brigitte Macron, 72, used to be a man. Disinformation on Macron's gender has circulated on social media for years. Her 24-year age difference with President Emmanuel Macron has also attracted much comment. Macron filed a libel complaint against the two women after they posted a YouTube video in December 2021, alleging she had once been a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux – who is actually Macron's brother. In the video, defendant Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium, interviewed Natacha Rey, a self-described independent journalist, for four hours on her YouTube channel. Rey spoke about the "state lie" and "scam" she claimed to have uncovered that Trogneux had changed gender to become Brigitte, and then married the future president. The claim went viral, including among conspiracy theorists in the United States. A lower court in September last year had ordered the two women to pay €8,000 in damages to Macron, and €5,000 to her brother. Macron's lawyer Jean Ennochi told Agence France-Press Sunday that her brother, too, was taking his case against the dismissal of the charges to the highest appeals court, the Court de Cassation.
