France’s Barnier makes last-ditch budget concession in bid to retain power

PARIS — French Prime Minister Michel Barnier pulled one final card from his sleeve on Monday in an attempt to lure the far right into backing him — and to maintain his grip on power.
Barnier and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally are engaged in an increasingly high-stakes battle over next year’s social security budget which could result in the government being toppled. The vote on the budget is scheduled in the National Assembly Monday afternoon.
In a statement, the French premier’s office pledged that the government would not stop reimbursing patients for certain types of drugs — one of the key demands National Rally had put forward during debates on next year’s social security budget.
Barnier’s minority government, backed by a fragile coalition of conservative and centrist lawmakers, does not have the votes needed to pass its legislation outright without the far right’s tacit support.
Under the French constitution, the government can pass legislation without parliamentary approval. However, lawmakers can then challenge this through a motion of no confidence, which, if successful, rejects the legislation and forces the government’s resignation.
Barnier’s government has two options: It could push for a vote and hope that the far right, satisfied by this new concession, abstains rather than voting against the bill — potentially leading to a favorable outcome. Barnier could also invoke a constitutional mechanism to bypass a vote altogether, but doing so would give the opposition an opportunity to introduce a motion of no confidence.
Left-wing forces in the French lower house have already announced they would submit and vote for a no-confidence motion. If the far right joins them, Barnier’s administration would fall.
This leaves Barnier relying on support from Le Pen’s party, which must refrain from voting for the no-confidence motion to keep his government in office.
This isn’t Barnier’s first concession. He had already abandoned a planned tax hike on electricity and announced restrictions on access to public healthcare for undocumented immigrants.
However, in both cases, he refrained from directly crediting Le Pen’s party as the driving force behind these decisions, prompting frustration from the far-right leader.
This time, the premier’s office made the connection explicit. “The bill… does not itself contain measures that would specifically lead to drugs not being reimbursed,” the statement said. “Many demands were made on this issue. Mrs. Marine Le Pen, representing the National Rally, reminded the prime minister of this during a phone conversation [Monday morning]. The government pledges not to stop reimbursing drugs in 2025.”