Browsing: France

François Bayrou arrives at the Elysée Palace in Paris on August 23, 2024. LAFARGUE RAPHAEL/ABACA In 2015, Nicolas Sarkozy won the prize for political humor…

President Emmanuel Macron will reveal his choice for France’s next prime minister on Friday, the Elysée Palace confirmed, as the country grapples with months of political instability.

French President Emmanuel Macron invited party leaders to engage in cross-party talks on Monday, as he attempts to form a new government following a historic…

“The improvable services of Minister Albares could have resolved the issue with a simple phone call” Of all the fires in history, only two have…

Eurostar is the worst-performing rail service on the continent and Germany’s Deutsche Bahn is one of the least reliable, according to a ranking of 27 European operators.

Paris’ iconic Notre Dame cathedral reopens five years after it was nearly destroyed by a devastating fire five years ago. 1,500 dignitaries, including sitting heads…

  Howling winds couldn’t stop Notre Dame Cathedral ‘s heart from beating again. With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich,…

France is facing political turmoil as Prime Minister Michel Barnier has been ousted following a decisive no-confidence vote in parliament, just three months after his appointment by President Emmanuel Macron.

French authorities rescue 85 migrants trying to cross Channel Authorities say ‘numerous’ boats set out to sea and that one called for help after hitting…

France’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier faces a vote of no confidence this afternoon which could bring down his minority government.

“Perhaps, if one is permitted to draw a lesson at such a dramatic moment, his excess of programmatic Europeanism, coupled with a lack of pragmatic Europeanism, has ultimately turned against him. If he had succeeded in realising at least some of the projects he announced, if he had really dared to share with his allies the military and nuclear supremacy he wields in Europe, France and Europe themselves would not be reduced to this pitiful state today.”

“Interest rates would rise. The financial markets are worried about France. They don’t know which way our country is headed. … France’s attractiveness would decline. In recent years, since 2015, France has become more attractive to foreign investors. … But since the dissolution of parliament, investors have been asking themselves: should they invest elsewhere? Should they wait and see if France remains hospitable? Some projects have already been cancelled, others have been scaled back or postponed. The fall of the Barnier government would only fuel this spiral of mistrust.”

“The appointment of a new prime minister and a new government would significantly curb Marine Le Pen’s party’s influence. Right now, everyone realises that the future of the government lies in her hands, since it can only stay in power thanks to her goodwill. She is playing this card well by raising the stakes. If a new government is appointed in the near future, whether on a joint (undoubtedly more left-wing) basis or as a ‘technical’ government, her influence would be severely limited, if not reduced to zero.”

“Rather, the entire political elite must ask itself whether it has grasped the seriousness of the situation. France is sitting on Europe’s highest mountain of debt and needs to make cutbacks in order to preserve some budgetary leeway and not gamble away the dented confidence of rating agencies and bond markets. There has been no shortage of warning shots. And one thing is also clear: in the coming months, France’s ability to act will be even more limited than it already is. This is bad news for Europe, which should actually be worrying about other things in view of the geopolitical challenges.”

Today’s almanac, December 4 On December 4, 1977 Jean-Bédel Bokassa, also known as Bokassa I, crowned himself emperor of Central Africa in 1977. For the…

Le Monde Front Page 4/12/2024 The front page of Le Monde leads on French political news.  Michel Barnier activated article 49.3 on Monday to try…

France’s Financial Struggles Deepen Amid Political Tensions What is happening in France? Well the simple answer is France is broke! The country is grappling with…

As French President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for Lebanon to hold…

A bus carrying 46 passengers and a driver crashed near a ski resort in the southern French Pyrenees on Sunday, killing two people and injuring several others. The Spanish bus originated from L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, outside Barcelona, Spain, Catalonia’s emergency services said on X, formerly Twitter.

The United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom have all called for de-escalation in Syria, where rebels have marched on government-controlled areas in the past few days, reigniting violence in the 13-year-long conflict.

Iran is to hold talks with the UK, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday over its nuclear program. The meeting comes with Donald Trump’s…

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Thursday announced a major concession in a bid to end a standoff with the opposition over the budget, which…

Chad said on Thursday that it was ending its defense cooperation pact with former colonial power France in a decision that could see French soldiers…

Citing “concern” for his country’s farmers and food security, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his government “will not accept” the prospective free trade deal…