- The new government of Jean Castex was appointed on Monday evening.
- Post-coronavirus economic recovery is the priority of the new Prime Minister.
- Unemployment insurance and pension reforms, put on hold during the crisis, should be relaunched.
Barely named, already many files on his desk. Jean Castex succeeded Edouard Philippe on Friday as Prime Minister. The head of government released the names of his ministers on Monday evening. The new team is meeting this Tuesday afternoon at the Elysée around Emmanuel Macron for the first Council of Ministers. In the midst of the post-Covid 19 economic crisis, the executive now wants to accelerate. 20 Minutes looks back at the projects awaiting Jean Castex and his government.
Reviving the economy after the coronavirus crisis
This is the main challenge for the coming weeks. Upset by the coronavirus crisis, the figures for the French economy make you dizzy: more than 11% of projected unemployment, a GDP falling by 12.5% according to the IMF… The French economy should experience one of the worst recessions to the world in 2020. On TF1 Friday evening, Jean Castex spoke of "emergency measures and structural measures" to "continue to support the economy". He spoke of the need to make "choices that make it possible to rebuild, to gain economic sovereignty, to have a more economical France from the point of view of respect for the environment".
"Jean Castex is a solution tracer, it's a good sign for the new path desired by Emmanuel Macron," said LREM member for Rhône Bruno Bonnell. We are going to face a major social and economic crisis, but France has the assets to overcome it ”.
Beyond the amending finance bill, which includes emergency measures for aeronautics, the automobile or tourism, a broader recovery plan will be presented before the start of the school year. Specific measures could be announced for the 700,000 young people expected on the job market this fall.
Advance on ecology
In the context of a strong green breakthrough in municipal government, ecology will also be a priority for the new government. "Acting for the environment is not an option, it is an obligation", promised JDD Jean Castex. Emmanuel Macron has already announced an additional 15 billion euros over two years for the "ecological conversion of the economy". The Head of State has also committed to taking up 146 of the 149 proposals of the Citizen's Climate Convention. It remains to be seen how they will be implemented. Will they be included in a specific bill during the summer or submitted to a referendum?
We will also have to convince the majority to take this green turn. “We have to be more ambitious on the ecological transition, but by respecting the line that we defend, we are not decreasing. It would also be wrong to think that the municipal authorities have given us this only ecological mandate, ”warns one of the executives of La République en Marche. "Let us be careful that the majority does not appear as the EELV auxiliaries," added another parliamentarian.
Pensions, Ségur de la Santé… Sensitive files to complete
Sensitive files have been lying around for several weeks in the drawers of Matignon. The delicate pension reform, which has given rise to months of social conflict, should be put back on track. The new Prime Minister said he wanted "at least a new social agenda" and settle "in the short term" this explosive issue, to the dismay of the unions. Emmanuel Macron warned: “There will be no abandonment of a pension reform. I am open to her being transformed ”.
Another big piece, unemployment insurance. The reform, which was to come into force in early April, has been postponed until early September but is still disputed by the unions. The Ségur de la Santé was suspended at the end of the week for lack of agreement with the social partners. But the Prime Minister hopes to find an agreement next week, when an envelope of seven billion euros is on the table for the salaries of caregivers.
Caring for the presidential majority after the mistakes
After the municipal debacle, the executive wants to rebuild La République en Marche with a view to 2022. Unlike Edouard Philippe, who has always kept his distance from LREM, Jean Castex has indicated that he intends to play fully his role as leader of the majority. To mark the occasion, the new tenant of Matignon returned his Les Républicains card on Friday, and took care to meet all the parliamentarians Monday evening in the wake of the reshuffle.
A calinotherapy operation necessary after weeks of floating at the head of the presidential party and the departure of many deputies. “We experienced a particular period of long sleep during confinement. We then resumed with the usual tensions during periods of reshuffle, ”breathes one of them.
The profile of Jean Castex, "man of dialogue and gathering" according to the Elysée, already seems to seduce some. “It seems to be a Prime Minister who has good capacities to manage the files, but also the teams. I hear that he is someone who listens and is warm, ”says ErD Balwanant, MP for MoDem from Finistère. "The few deputies who worked with him on breaking out of confinement speak of a man of dialogue and concrete," adds Bruno Bonnell. The Prime Minister and his team will face the deputies Thursday morning during questions to the government in the National Assembly.
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- Covid 19
- LREM
- Emmanuel Macron
- Coronavirus
- Reshuffle
- Government
- Jean Castex