The new French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne walked to her eagerly awaited declaration of inauguration in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

In their wake, the most important ministers walked to Parliament.

The symbolic break with the driving official limousines was intentional and should mean that Borne wants to do things differently.

Michael Wiegel

Political correspondent based in Paris.

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That was also the leitmotif of her government statement, in which she outlined the political and programmatic guidelines for the term of office.

"We have to act differently," said Borne.

A relative majority is not a sign of impotence.

She proposed "project-related majorities".

She is ready to forge these majorities as a "tireless master builder" and wants to stand for a new culture of dialogue and willingness to compromise.

"I don't match the wanted portrait that some of the prime minister have drawn up," said the 62-year-old prime minister.

As an engineer, she doesn't like grand lyrical remarks or small teasing remarks, which too often have dominated the political debate.

"I don't suffer from the Savior complex either," she said.

Her guiding principles are: Listen, Act, Results.

She didn't ask the question of confidence.

The left-wing alliance has already announced a motion of no confidence, but this has little prospect of success.

The Prime Minister appealed to the opposition factions' sense of responsibility to revise the government's projects and make them capable of winning a majority.

Borne named an emergency law package to strengthen purchasing power, full employment and household restructuring as the most important projects, as well as a “radical conversion to an ecologically sustainable society”.

"We will initiate a radical change," she said.

Borne addressed the group leader of the green party EELV directly and appealed to the Greens to help her with the project.

Borne defended nuclear energy as "essential" to power the transition to a carbon-neutral economy.

Amid shouts of protest, she presented the plan to increase the state's capital share in the electricity company EDF to 100 percent.

Borne warned that a halt to Russian gas supplies would have an impact across Europe.

She named it as a goal to expand rail traffic even more.

100 euros for the needy

Borne received boos and catcalls when she stressed the need for pension reform.

"We will all have to work longer hours," she said.

She plans to reduce national debt by 2026, and by 2027 the budget deficit should be below the three percent mark again.

Balanced public finances are an obligation to future generations.

She addressed the group leader of the right-wing party Les Républicains, Olivier Marleix, directly.

That was a tip, because Marleix wants to set the maximum price for fuel at 1.5 euros per liter through a tax cut.

The measure would cost at least 50 billion euros per year.

Borne also announced a €50 billion emergency aid plan to boost purchasing power.

Pensions and social assistance are to be increased by four percent.

In addition, the fuel discount of 18 cents per liter will be extended.

French people in particular need will receive a one-time payment of 100 euros for food purchases.

The Prime Minister also warned that the pandemic was not over.

A seventh corona wave is rolling over France.

120,000 new cases have been reported in the past 24 hours.

Borne did not announce a return to the mask requirement on public transport and indoors.

However, it is planned to check the vaccination status again when entering France.