Although he has withdrawn from political life in recent years, the new French prime minister has earned much respect in Brussels as the chief Brexit negotiator. Commentary by former EU Commission President Juncker
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Two months after snap elections that led to a divided legislature, French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed the two-time European Commissioner Michel Barnier as Prime Minister, claiming he wanted to create “a unifying government at the service of the country.”
As he prepares to take the helm, Barnier’s former colleagues in Brussels are lining up to congratulate him on his return to the heart of European politics.
Why was a skilled negotiator chosen for this role?
“I am very happy with the appointment of Michel Barnier,” former European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker told Euronews.
“I appointed him as chief negotiator for Brexit and during that time I saw his talent for listening and speaking comprehensively to those who would listen to him. He was very intelligent and also very well prepared,” she added.
Barnier showed “real talent” as a negotiator during this tumultuous period, Juncker recalled, in which he spoke to his British counterparts – prime ministers, parliamentarians and Commission officials – several times a week.
“He had a positive view of the UK and just wanted to get the best out of the negotiations.“, said the Luxembourg politician who led the European Commission from 2014 to 2019.
Macron appointed former European Commissioner Barnier – who previously held the internal market and regional policy portfolios – saying he wanted him to create “a unifying government at the service of the country“, according to a statement from the Elysée.
However, Macron’s first choices were former Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and the centre-right president of France’s northern region, Xavier Bertrand, with the right-wing mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, also in the running.
But none of these names were deemed capable of passing parliament’s vote, given the ever-widening divide in political ideology in France. However, according to those who worked closely with him during the tense and rancorous days of Brexit, Barnier has the ability to at least try to bridge the gap.
Juncker said that as French prime minister, Barnier would “try to bring people together” from opposite political sides.
“He is used to negotiating with coalition governments across Europe and he does not come from the far right, but from the moderate centre-right,” he said.
Asked whether Barnier could help smooth over the deep-seated divisions plaguing France, he replied: “We do not exaggerate the influence he can have on the situation in France – but it is undoubtedly one of the best choices right now“.
Existential moment for the Uw
Meanwhile, Georg Riekeles, Barnier’s diplomatic adviser during Brexit, said the politician’s ability to “steer the ship” after the Brexit shock in 2016 was his “major achievement”.
We don’t think about it now, but in 2016 there was a question of whether Brexit was the start of a broader European push for referendums – there were political leaders who said, ‘This is our moment,'” Rikeles said.
“It was seen as an existential moment for the EU.” Riekeles, now associate director at the European Policy Centre, said Barnier’s most well-managed achievements during this era were to bring the 27 member states into dialogue and ensure that they “remain united”.
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Despite fears in Brussels that Brexit could trigger the EU’s downfall, Riekeles said the unity that had emerged was “far from a given in 2016”.
“At the time, the question was whether the EU could remain united with a single negotiator, or whether member states, large or small, would go it alone to try to get the best deal,” he said. “He stressed that otherwise there would be no point in being in a union.”
From the end of his political career to his return to the top
After the failed in his attempt to secure the nomination for president of his Conservative Party, It seemed that Barnier had reached the end of his political career. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, the Environment and European Affairs, Barnier has often been described as a little-known or unknown figure in France.
Amid much applause from Brussels, however, there has been a notable absence of comment on Barnier’s dramatic shift toward the populist right during his ill-fated bid for the French presidency.
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In his campaign he called for a moratorium on immigration, the tightening of family reunification criteria and the elevation of French law above European or international law.
Barnier also lamented the prospect of France regaining “legal sovereignty so as to no longer be subject to the rulings” of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
As former British diplomat Peter Ricketts wrote in X: “I have known Barnier on and off for 30 years, since he was Chirac’s Europe minister in 1995. He is a competent, formal, inflexible technocrat and not very well known in France, as he spent decades in various positions in Brussels.
“His main advantage for Macron is probably that he has fewer enemies than others consider. This is crucial because his job is to put together a government that survives a motion of censure and then to pass a budget,” Ricketts added.
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