A successor for the French state-owned energy group EDF was sought for months. Luc Rémont, from the French electrical engineering group Schneider Electric, has now been proposed as the new boss by the Elysée Palace. He brings international industrial experience and financial knowledge to the table and has already worked in the French Finance and […]
France often sees nationwide protests in the fall. This year it was only a matter of time. On Thursday, strikes and rallies were held against President Emmanuel Macron’s planned pension reform and rising prices. Unions called for nationwide strikes, which affected long-distance trains, mass transit, schools and hospitals, among others. “Raise salaries, not the retirement […]
The French government is pushing the state-owned utility EDF to restart nuclear reactors in the winter. A realistic goal? Between repair work, inspections, and safety checks, there is a lot of uncertainty about whether the schedule can be met. In recent months, France had to buy massive amounts of additional electricity from other countries, including […]
In France’s politics, Europe is increasingly in the hands of women. After Foreign and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna and Laurence Boone, Secretary of State for Europe, a third woman is now taking care of Europe for President Emmanuel Macron. Garance Pineau succeeds Alexandre Adam and Clément Beaune as advisor for European affairs at the […]
Laurence Boone, an internationally renowned economist, is appointed Secretary of State for European Affairs in France. She will work under Foreign and European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna.The 53-year-old Boone was previously chief economist and, since January, deputy secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She knows exactly how the EU works because […]
The new government has 42 members, including the prime minister. It consists of 21 women and 21 men, with the men occupying most of the important posts. Many “old” ministers retain their posts, especially in the crucial ministries – including one of the most important figures in France and Europe: Economy and Finance Minister Bruno […]
It was even closer than the polling institutes had predicted. According to initial projections, the president’s Ensemble alliance would have only 210 to 250 seats in the National Assembly, far short of the absolute majority of 289 seats. That would leave him with only a relative majority. French media saw the outcome as a “heavy […]
Emmanuel Macron was re-elected in April, but the president still has to fear for his own majority in the National Assembly. In Sunday’s parliamentary elections, the left-wing alliance NUPES led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon achieved more votes than Macron’s camp. According to projections, it came in at more than 25 percent and was just ahead of […]
Shortly before the parliamentary elections on June 12 and 19, many observers had expected major changes in the government. President Emmanuel Macron is hoping for his own majority there so as not to have to cooperate with a prime minister from another political camp. The French press commented on the formation of the government with […]
When President Emmanuel Macron ran for his second term, he promised “renewal”. It was not to be a simple continuation of his first term. At the same time, he announced that he would continue his reforms, which were interrupted by the yellow vest protests and the pandemic. To mark this change, Macron sent a strong […]