The former advisor to Emmanuel Macron, with no international experience outside the mysteries of Brussels, becomes at 38 the youngest Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Fifth Republic.
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Stéphane Séjourné acknowledged this in a shy voice during the transfer of power organized this Friday morning, January 12 at the Quai d’Orsay: “ The task is heavy ».
Never before has such a young person held this position, and moreover without diplomatic experience outside of Brussels. Elected European deputy in 2019, the new boss of French diplomats chaired the Renew Europe group, Emmanuel Macron’s liberal party in the European Parliament, until his appointment, far from the hot theaters that occupy international news.
“ I am not a professional diplomathe recalled this morning, but I know the power of diplomacy and negotiation. The European negotiation was for me the place of all possibilities. And I know that I will be able to count on the work and expertise of thousands of ministry agents ».
While the Middle East is in crisis, the war is bogged down in Ukraine and the French presence in Africa is increasingly contested, Stéphane Séjourné has only one priority: Europe, which must, says he, increase in power in order to allow France to “ rearm », according to the wish expressed by the President of the Republic. His first trip should take him to Germany and Poland, with the hope of a detour via kyiv if logistical issues permit.
Catherine Colonna, the outgoing minister? “ She was not unworthy, she kept the shop running, but Séjourné’s political profile will allow France to have a voice that carries through.”, wants to believe a diplomatic source close to the new entrant. In reality, no one is fooled. Known to be very close to the Head of State, the tenant of the Quai d’Orsay will not have more latitude in the face of pressure from the Élysée, which keeps control of hot issues.
Like Jean-Yves Le Drian and Catherine Colonna before him, he will have to deal with Emmanuel Macron’s improvised initiatives, such as the stillborn idea of reviving the anti-Islamic State coalition launched in 2014 to put it at the service of Israel. in its fight against Hamas. No one at the Quai d’Orsay had been consulted before the French president presented this project to Benyamin Netanyahu two weeks after the attacks, instructing diplomatic networks to provide after-sales service, between uninhibited support for the Israeli response and appeal late to the need to respect the rights of civilians in Gaza.
Middle East, Ukraine, French hostages held in Iran, growing loss of influence of Paris in the Sahel, the emergency is everywhere for Stéphane Séjourné, who will at least be able to rely on a subject of satisfaction negotiated by the outgoing team: while she arrived in full bronca linked to the reform of the status of diplomats, Catherine Colonna obtained a massive increase in the budget of the Quai d’Orsay, +20% over four years and the creation of 700 positions over the same period, putting an end to the litany of drastic cuts which have affected the MAE and led to the elimination of 50% of its staff in the space of around thirty years. (Read the Senate report here: What future for the diplomatic corps?)
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