Paris (AFP)
Former EU “Mr. Brexit” Michel Barnier, whose political ambitions are the subject of speculation, will chair a working group on the “patriot and European” theme with LR parliamentarians, announced on Tuesday. boss of right-wing deputies Damien Abad.
The former EU negotiator, who came in the morning to participate in the LR group meeting at the National Assembly, "announced that he was taking a political initiative to create this working group on the theme + patriot and European +, to invite all parliamentarians who wish to participate, "Abad told reporters.
Mr Barnier does not want "to leave this theme to others": "We must not be defensive on this subject", he declared before the LR group, according to remarks reported by a parliamentary source.
"I welcome this initiative" of a working group, said Mr. Abad while the former minister of Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac had told La Croix on Thursday that he intended to "take (his) part" in the political debate in the run-up to the 2022 presidential election.
To LR deputies, Barnier "recommended to listen to social anger", judging that "popular sentiment is different from populism", according to reports.
"He said that Brussels had to have an examination of conscience. He did not believe in technocracy and bureaucracy", synonymous according to him with the abandonment of power by the politician, also indicated Damien Abad.
In addition, he added, Mr Barnier "recalled his availability for France and also for our political family at the end of March when he will have finished his work at the European Union".
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