The likely outgoing Prime Minister of France, Michel Barnier, accused the opposition parties on Tuesday 3/12 of not wanting to negotiate with the Government on next year's state budget and that the financial cost of this tactic will be paid by all French people. During a televised interview with France's two largest television stations, Michel Barnier said however that he still believes it is "possible" that his Government will not fall tomorrow, saying that "it depends on the MPs, each of whom has a stake responsibility before the French".
"The motion of censure is not a vote for or against Barnier," he added, pointing out that the motion of censure against him was tabled after his decision to trigger Article 49.3 of the Constitution, to enable France to reach its 2025 state budget. Michel Barnier did not deny that the text of next year's budget could be improved, but at the same time he rejected criticism that he did not cooperate with the opposition. "When I arrived at the prime minister's office in September, of course I called my political friends, those who agreed to support the Government, but immediately after that I called two or three leaders of the Socialist Party," Barnier said and continued: "They told me, before I opened my mouth my, we don't want to see you and in any case we will vote a motion of censure against you". On the same wavelength was his criticism of Marine Le Pen's far-right party which, as he noted, did not want to negotiate with him and its tactic was to constantly ask for more.
Michel Barnier also sounded the alarm about the effects of government instability on the country, saying that due to the failure to pass the state budget "almost 18 million French people will see their income tax increase and others will pay taxes for the first time time because we failed to include in the state budget the readjustment of the tax scales that we had planned".
He also warned of the economic consequences of political instability, saying: “I look at the markets, I look at the spreads [the difference between interest rates in different countries], and I see that we are above Greece. You will see the impact of this volatility immediately in interest rates." Finally, Michel Barnier did not seem positive about the idea of President Macron re-nominating him for prime minister, as he has the right, saying the following: "I want to serve but that does not mean that if I fall tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, they will find me again in Prime Minister's Palace as if nothing had happened"
Source: KYPE
