MEP Valérie Hayer, just appointed head of the Renew group in the European Parliament, is expected to become head of the majority list in the European elections.
Valérie Hayer, from shadow to light. The discreet MEP was appointed head of Renew, the third group in the European Parliament, on Thursday January 25, and since then it has been rumored behind the scenes of Macronie that she could take on more responsibilities. The one who succeeds Stéphane Séjourné, who became Minister of Foreign Affairs, could also take over as head of the presidential majority list in the European elections scheduled for June 9. After all, before landing at the Quai d’Orsay, Stéphane Séjourné began preparing his campaign.
The name of Valérie Hayer seems well included in the “short list” of contenders to be head of the Renaissance list in the next election, “natural candidate” according to a close friend of Emmanuel Macron, but without being “the most worked hypothesis” for another member of the majority surveyed by Le Figaro. This Macronist, however, remains in competition with the Head of State’s foal: Julien Denormandie. She can already count on the support of her predecessor Stéphane Séjourné who must decide with Emmanuel Macron on the name of the candidate by February. But who is this MEP acclaimed by the majority?
The elected farmer’s daughter, a “perfect muse” for the majority
“I am the daughter of farmers, sister of farmers, sister-in-law of farmers, granddaughter of farmers” said the MEP after her appointment as head of the Renew Europe group. A way of recalling its origins and presenting the future of agriculture as a “concern that we all share” in a context of crisis in the agricultural sector. Origins that the elected official also claims through her political roots, she who was departmental councilor of Mayenne between 2015 and 2021, and which combined with political experience make the 37-year-old woman a “perfect muse for the presidential majority ” according to Renaissance MP, Sacha Houlié.
Valérie Hayer, highly appreciated by the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, was also approached to move to the Ministry of Agriculture, in place of Marc Fesneau, during the last reshuffle, according to Le Figaro. Initially included on the reshuffle list, she did not resist the pressure exerted by François Bayrou’s MoDem to keep the current minister in office.
Projects for the EU, and for Europeans?
Municipal councilor of Saint-Denis-d’Anjou, departmental councilor of Mayenne, European deputy and now president of the Renew Europe group, Valérie Hayer has been climbing the political ladder since 2008. First joined the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI ) in 2015, she joined Emmanuel Macron’s La République en Marche in 2017 and was one of the early Macronists. She was also the co-leader of the Renaissance elected representatives in the European Parliament. His speeches and positions seem to suit all the majority forces, including MoDem and Horizons. The MEP from the Philippe party Gilles Boyer even assured that “if she is chosen [en tête de liste aux Européennes]we will help him!” Figaro.
Just appointed president of the Renew group, the thirty-year-old graduate in public law and finance first wants to get her bearings in her new position. A “priority according to her, but in relation to what? In the European elections? The MEP has in any case set herself the objective of making progress on two priority projects in Brussels: the stability and growth pact concerning the budgetary rules of the EU and the migration and asylum pact. Valérie Hayer, however, assured that she wanted to take “full part in the campaign” of the European elections against the “threat of the extreme right”. The door is therefore not closed.