Recruitment is not easy for the Ministry of Economy given the few volunteers who come forward. Only names stand out, mainly those of right-wing personalities.
A page is turning at Bercy with the departure of Bruno Le Maire after seven years at the Ministry of Economy. But the next chapter related to the Barnier government is struggling to be written and for good reason: volunteers to manage the state’s finances are not legion. It must be said that the position, if it is one of the most important in the government, is also one of the most difficult to hold. This is all the more true at a time when public accounts are slipping and before the vote on the 2025 budget which promises to be a delicate and perilous step for the new executive.
However, some profiles are being mentioned and the latest leads seem to favour a profile from the right, even if a candidate leaning more towards the left has been approached. The future tenant of Bercy could also be the combination of a political profile and a technical mastery of the subject. The Prime Minister must make a choice and submit it to Emmanuel Macron. Whoever is (the lucky?) elected, he will have the heavy task of putting the finances back on track. The announced objective is to find thirty billion euros to bring the public deficit back within the authorized limit, but the question remains how to do it between savings and increases in tax revenues. Rumors of a tax increase have already caused sparks between the political forces.
A right-wing or left-wing minister at Bercy?
While there is no shortage of candidates for ministerial positions in the ranks of LR, few seem to want to take up the Ministry of the Economy. Laurent Wauquiez is cited for Bercy, he would even be planned for this position in a list of ministerial candidates drawn up by Michel Barnier on Tuesday September 17 according to RTLThe president of the LR group in the Assembly seemed however more interested in the Interior ministry that he is fighting with Bruno Retailleau and others. The LR senator was also mentioned among the options for the Economy. The fact remains that for both of them, Bercy seems more like a consolation prize than the primary objective.
Some on the right are banking on a more discreet profile, that of Veronique Louwagieaccording to The PointThe LR MP is appreciated and renowned in the National Assembly and her interest in economic issues had pushed her to apply for the presidency of the Finance Committee won by the rebellious Eric Coquerel.
The appointment of a right-wing personality to the Economy is more than likely, but Michel Barnier will not be able to place only representatives of his political family in key government positions since he promises to form a “balanced” and “plural” executive. Could Bercy therefore return to a minister from the presidential coalition, the center or the left? The hypothesis is on the table, although no name in particular has been cited for the Economy portfolio.
He does have a serious candidate, from the left, who was approached according to Politico : the president of the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life, Didier Migaud. The man has a technical profile, knowledgeable about economic issues since he also chaired the Court of Auditors. But he also has political experience with his former mandates at the National Assembly, notably as chairman of the Finance Committee. The senior civil servant who is apparently set for an appointment to Bercy is said to have set too many conditions, such as having a hand in choosing his delegate ministers, which would have made the hypothesis of his appointment fall through.
The hypothesis of a duo at Bercy
Another serious option has emerged with the possible nomination ofEric Woerth at the Ministry of Economy mentioned by Politico. The Ensemble pour la République MP sat for a long time within the LR party before joining the Macronist camp in 2022. The man who was already Minister of the Budget under Nicolas Sarkozy could therefore satisfy both the right and the presidential coalition. He assured the media that he had not been contacted by Michel Barnier, but did not close the door to an appointment: “Of course I would assume my responsibilities” he declared on RTL September 19. He also clarified on France 2 want a “fairly broad and balanced” government including “experienced profiles everywhere”. Including his own?
The nomination of Eric Woerth could be validated by the right, as it could mark the beginning of a duo at Bercy. The other half of the duo envisaged for the Ministry of Economy would be Valerie Pecressethe LR president of the Ile-de-France region.