As part of the government reshuffle, the Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune hands over to Laurence Boone. She was until now Chief Economist of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
More than two months after the re-election of President Emmanuel Macron, the new French government was unveiled on Monday. Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune is one of those changing jobs. ” Europe is a commitment. Some sometimes say it is a disease or a religion; I don’t believe it, but it’s a constant commitment “, he said during the transfer of power. This European commitment has been a common thread for Emmanuel Macron’s former adviser in charge of European affairs since 2020.
” I believe that our Europe is a treasure that we must preserve in the face of the bad winds which challenge it on our territory. Even in our country, in our public debate, it is necessary to have this courage because it is always difficult “, he observes. Called to Transport, and to much more French subjects, Clément Beaune gives way to Laurence Boone, a 53-year-old economist who will have to face the multiple crises caused by the war in Ukraine.
The interested party recognizes it: the task promises to be difficult. ” On the war in Ukraine, we will have to continue to work in unity with the other European countries. The agenda for the French presidency of the European Union has also been provided, with major advances that we will have to pursue. Institutional developments then on the profound transformation of our economies with the climate and energy “, she lists.
Former adviser to François Hollande
Renowned for her capacity for work and her very technical knowledge of issues, Laurence Boone is as comfortable in international summits as in economic circles. A figurehead among French economists, the chief economist of the OECD since 2018 had been promoted to deputy secretary general of the organization in January.
She had previously played the role of Sherpa to President François Hollande on European issues, assuming the role of a woman in the shadows who negotiates agreements with her European counterparts. She had distinguished herself for her support for keeping Greece in the euro zone, her participation in the 2015 G20 or her work on the financing of COP21.
During confinement, she made her first appearances in the spotlight to talk about the crisis. She was the guest of Yann Barthes’ Quotidien primetime program on TMC, like another chief economist, that of the IMF Gita Gopinath, who offered herself Jimmy Fallon’s set in the United States. . Laurence Boone is part of the female wave that has swept over economic institutions in recent years, with in particular the appointment of Christine Lagarde as head of the ECB, after that of the IMF.
Laurence Boone and Emmanuel Macron have known each other for a long time. She had succeeded him at the Élysée in the summer of 2014 as economic adviser when he left office before being appointed Minister of the Economy. Both went through an investment bank, Mr. Macron at Rothschild and Ms. Boone at the American Bank of America-Merryll Lynch, where she led economic research on Europe, after having held a similar position within of Barclays Bank.