Latest news with #FrancoisBayrou
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
France must squeeze spending or risk market backlash, says auditor
PARIS, July 2 (Reuters) - France needs to get its public finances back on track this year or risk pressure from unforgiving financial markets to do so in the future, the national public audit office said on Wednesday. Centrist Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is struggling to get public finances back under control after spending spiralled higher last year and tax income fell short of expectations. France saw its budget deficit expand further than any other euro zone country last year as a snap legislative election delivered a hung parliament, making bold decisions to correct the deterioration all but impossible. "We have a choice between making a voluntary effort now or suffering austerity tomorrow," the Cour des Comptes audit office head Pierre Moscovici said, adding markets were watching for missteps. As a first step to getting the budget deficit back to an EU limit of 3% of output by 2029, the government aims to reduce the deficit to 5.4% of GDP from 5.8% last year, a target Moscovici described as "reachable but fragile". Bayrou, a long-time debt hawk, has said he would outline plans in mid-July to cut spending by 40 billion euros next year to reduce the deficit to 4.6%. In France's deeply-divided parliament, opposition parties on the far-right and left are watching closely and could easily topple Bayrou's government as they did with his conservative predecessor, Michel Barnier. With interest payments on France's debt set to become the single biggest expense in the budget by the end of the decade, Moscovici warned that simply meeting the EU deficit target would not be enough to ward off a debt crisis. "To truly guarantee the sovereignty of the French debt, it is essential to return to a primary surplus, which is a prerequisite," Moscovici said.
Khaleej Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
France's Le Pen hands Bayrou a lifeline, but budget will test her patience
French far right leader Marine Le Pen may have decided to let Prime Minister Francois Bayrou survive this time round, but his days might be numbered. Bayrou survived his eighth no-confidence motion on Tuesday, after a truce struck with the Socialists collapsed over his failure to soften France's pensions reform but Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN) declined to join the mutiny. Together, the RN and left-wing lawmakers have the numbers to topple the government. Although RN lawmakers, the biggest bloc in parliament, allowed Bayrou to fight another day, their benevolence is unlikely to last long. Le Pen's troops have made it clear that budget talks this autumn will be crunch time for Bayrou, who is struggling to push 40 billion euros in savings through a divided parliament to lower the euro zone's largest deficit and appease increasingly alarmed investors and EU beancounters. "Voting a motion of no-confidence would be a very bad signal to ratings agencies and the IMF. It would be extremely damaging for the country," former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, now the education minister in Bayrou's government, told Reuters. Boosted by their newfound power over Bayrou's future, the RN is making ever stricter budgetary demands that are virtually impossible for him to meet. During last year's budget, Le Pen orchestrated the ouster of Bayrou's predecessor Michel Barnier after he refused to respect just one of her four budgetary red lines. Boris Vallaud, the lower house Socialists' leader, said Bayrou's chances of making it to year's end were "very small." RN lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy was less emphatic, saying: "It'll depend on the budget." A June 30 Ifop poll showed Bayrou, never popular, now has an 80% disapproval rating, his worst yet. He will present an outline of his 2026 budget by mid-July, with the text unveiled in late-September. A Bayrou aide said it was too soon to write him off: "I wouldn't underestimate Bayrou's ability to find compromises." RN sources told Reuters Le Pen believes it will be less costly to topple Bayrou in the autumn than now, when the geopolitical situation is fraught. The RN itself is also less unified than it was, after Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement in March, knocking her out of the 2027 presidential race. She aims to overturn her ban, but it has raised the profile of her No. 2, Jordan Bardella, the party president, who will run in 2027 if she cannot. Bardella, who is increasingly showing signs of independence from Le Pen, is keen to push the party towards a more fiscally conservative position and shed some of Le Pen's more socially-minded cost-of-living measures, one RN source said. The source said the RN's 2025 red lines will be maintained and even hardened, by refusing any tax rises in the 2026 budget. Previously it had tolerated tax increases for the wealthiest. The party has also hardened its position on French energy policy, turning against renewables and making nuclear energy a symbol of French national pride that it wants to turn into a key plank of its industrial manifesto. The RN could even file a no-confidence motion if Bayrou decides to bypass parliament to pass a multi-year energy plan by decree. "That would be a casus belli," the source said. In private, Le Pen's lawmakers say they would cast a favourable eye on Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who they see as closer to their line on law and order, as a possible successor to Bayrou. From July 8, Macron can dissolve parliament again and call fresh legislative elections. But he may be wary of plunging France back into chaos at a time of multiple global conflicts and economic uncertainty stemming from US President Donald Trump's trade wars. Dissolving parliament would have the benefit of dislodging Le Pen from her parliamentary seat, but many Macron allies think a new election would be ill-advised, with opinion polls showing the RN and Bardella more popular than ever. "The chances of getting a more governable Assembly than the current one are close to zero," Borne warned.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Inquiry accuses French PM of failing to act over school abuse
AI- Generated Image PARIS: Physical and sexual violence at a Catholic school in France persisted for years without any action from Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who served as education minister between 1993 and 1997, a parliamentary inquiry said on Wednesday. The scathing report issued by several French lawmakers, who have investigated the claims of abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram boarding school, also pointed to "persistent violence" in other French schools, accusing the state of failing to act. Bayrou, 74, has in recent months faced accusations from the opposition that as education minister he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse over many decades at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school to which he sent some of his children. "In the absence of action that the former education minister... had the means to take, this physical and sexual violence against the pupils of Betharram continued for years," the two co-rapporteurs of the inquiry, Violette Spillebout and Paul Vannier, said in a 330-page report. A member of Bayrou's team took issue with the findings that accused the prime minister of inaction. "It's exactly the opposite," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "No minister after Francois Bayrou organised any verification checks or inspections." The centrist politician has denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he calls a campaign of "destruction" against him. "Many of the testimonies we received were beyond my imagination," Vannier told broadcaster France Inter on Wednesday. "I couldn't imagine acts of torture, children being injected with water, children being deprived of sleep, children being deprived of food to punish them in endless sadistic games for years and years, devastating entire lives," he said. The conclusions of the parliamentary inquiry, which heard from 135 people including survivors of abuse at other schools, add further pressure on Bayrou, who survived a vote of no confidence on Tuesday. The commission of inquiry is not expected however to refer the matter to courts. Named by President Emmanuel Macron in December to bring much-needed stability to the French government, Bayrou's minority coalition depends on the far-right to stay in office and risks being ejected in the autumn in a looming standoff over the budget. 'Absolute sadism' "This commission of inquiry was a thorough investigation into the unthinkable: children, all over France, subjected to monstrous acts," wrote Fatiha Keloua Hachi, who presided over the commission. Over the past months, lawmakers heard of sexual violence and "physical violence too, sometimes of an unprecedented severity, of absolute sadism," she said. In mid-May, Bayrou was questioned for five and a half hours by the lawmakers investigating the violence, in one of the most delicate moments of his time in office. He struck a defiant tone at the time and said he only knew of allegations of sexual abuse from media reports. Centrist Spillebout and Vannier, a lawmaker with the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI), said that violence at the Betharram school was systemic. The violence "was - at least in part - institutionalised", they said, with "a community of prominent figures providing unwavering support". The lawmakers stressed that the abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school was also "far from being a unique case". Such violence still persists in private schools, particularly Catholic establishments, the authors said, pointing to a "strong code of silence." The rapporteurs also deplored "a failing state," with "virtually non-existent" controls and an "inadequate" system of prevention and reporting. They listed a range of proposals to address the violence including creating a compensation fund for victims. Around 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Betharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night. Bayrou's eldest daughter, Helene Perlant, accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14. She said however her father did not know about the incident.
Khaleej Times
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Inquiry accuses French PM of failing to act over school abuse
Physical and sexual violence at a Catholic school in France persisted for years without any action from Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who served as education minister between 1993 and 1997, a parliamentary inquiry said on Wednesday. The scathing report issued by several French lawmakers, who have investigated the claims of abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram boarding school, also pointed to "persistent violence" in other French schools, accusing the state of failing to act. Bayrou, 74, has in recent months faced accusations from the opposition that as education minister he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse over many decades at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school to which he sent some of his children. "In the absence of action that the former education minister... had the means to take, this physical and sexual violence against the pupils of Betharram continued for years," the two co-rapporteurs of the inquiry, Violette Spillebout and Paul Vannier, said in a 330-page report. A member of Bayrou's team took issue with the findings that accused the prime minister of inaction. "It's exactly the opposite," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "No minister after Francois Bayrou organised any verification checks or inspections." The centrist politician has denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he calls a campaign of "destruction" against him. "Many of the testimonies we received were beyond my imagination," Vannier told broadcaster France Inter on Wednesday. "I couldn't imagine acts of torture, children being injected with water, children being deprived of sleep, children being deprived of food to punish them in endless sadistic games for years and years, devastating entire lives," he said. The conclusions of the parliamentary inquiry, which heard from 135 people including survivors of abuse at other schools, add further pressure on Bayrou, who survived a vote of no confidence on Tuesday. The commission of inquiry is not expected however to refer the matter to courts. Named by President Emmanuel Macron in December to bring much-needed stability to the French government, Bayrou's minority coalition depends on the far-right to stay in office and risks being ejected in the autumn in a looming standoff over the budget. 'Absolute sadism' "This commission of inquiry was a thorough investigation into the unthinkable: children, all over France, subjected to monstrous acts," wrote Fatiha Keloua Hachi, who presided over the commission. Over the past months, lawmakers heard of sexual violence and "physical violence too, sometimes of an unprecedented severity, of absolute sadism," she said. In mid-May, Bayrou was questioned for five and a half hours by the lawmakers investigating the violence, in one of the most delicate moments of his time in office. He struck a defiant tone at the time and said he only knew of allegations of sexual abuse from media reports. Centrist Spillebout and Vannier, a lawmaker with the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI), said that violence at the Betharram school was systemic. The violence "was - at least in part - institutionalised", they said, with "a community of prominent figures providing unwavering support". The lawmakers stressed that the abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school was also "far from being a unique case". Such violence still persists in private schools, particularly Catholic establishments, the authors said, pointing to a "strong code of silence." The rapporteurs also deplored "a failing state," with "virtually non-existent" controls and an "inadequate" system of prevention and reporting. They listed a range of proposals to address the violence including creating a compensation fund for victims. Around 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Betharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night. Bayrou's eldest daughter, Helene Perlant, accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14. She said however her father did not know about the incident.
The Sun
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Inquiry accuses French PM of failing to act over school abuse
PARIS: Physical and sexual violence at a Catholic school in France persisted for years without any response from Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who served as education minister between 1993 and 1997, a parliamentary inquiry said on Wednesday. The scathing report issued by several French lawmakers, who have investigated the widespread claims of abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram boarding school, also pointed to 'persistent violence' in other French schools, accusing the state of failing to act. Bayrou, 74, has in recent months faced accusations from the opposition that as education minister he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse over many decades at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school to which he sent some of his children. 'In the absence of action that the former education minister had the means to take, this physical and sexual violence against the pupils of Betharram continued for years,' the two co-rapporteurs of the inquiry, Violette Spillebout and Paul Vannier, said in a 330-page report. The conclusions of the commission of inquiry, which began its work in March and heard from 135 people including survivors of abuse at other schools, add further pressure on Bayrou, who survived a vote of no confidence on Tuesday. Named by President Emmanuel Macron in December to bring much needed stability to the French government, his minority coalition depends on the far-right to stay in office and risks being ejected in the autumn in a looming standoff over the budget. The centrist politician has denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he calls a campaign of 'destruction' against him. 'Absolute sadism' 'This commission of inquiry was a thorough investigation into the unthinkable: children, all over France, subjected to monstrous acts,' wrote Fatiha Keloua Hachi, who presided over the inquiry. Over the past three months the lawmakers heard of sexual violence and 'physical violence too, sometimes of an unprecedented severity, of absolute sadism,' she said. In mid-May, Bayrou was questioned during five and a half hours by the lawmakers investigating the violence, in one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office. He struck a defiant tone at the time and said he only knew of allegations of sexual abuse from media reports. Centrist Spillebout, and Vannier, a lawmaker with the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI), said the violence at the Betharram school was systemic and 'cannot be reduced to isolated incidents'. The violence 'was - at least in part - institutionalised', they said, with 'a community of prominent figures providing unwavering support', including 'members of the government'. The lawmakers stressed that the abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school was also 'far from being a unique case'. Such violence still persists in private schools, particularly Catholic establishments, the authors said, pointing to a 'strong code of silence.' The rapporteurs also deplored 'a failing state,' with 'virtually non-existent' controls and an 'inadequate' system of prevention and reporting. They listed a range of proposals to address the violence including creating a compensation fund for victims. Around 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Betharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night. Bayrou's eldest daughter, Helene Perlant, accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14. She said however her father did not know about the incident.
