Stéphane Séjourné, Emmanuel Macron’s top man in the European Parliament, was appointed French foreign affairs minister on Thursday (11 January), leaving a question mark over who will lead Macron’s party in the EU elections in June.
“I appreciate the honour that has been granted to me. It is immense. It will be my duty to carry our country’s unique voice to the world”, Séjourné, who is also the secretary-general of the Macron-dominated liberal Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, said on social platform X.
Séjourné’s appointment comes as a surprise move – the foreign minister post was left unfilled until the last few minutes before the cabinet was unveiled on Thursday. He is taking over from Catherine Colonna, former ambassador to the UK and the OECD, and in government since May 2022.
The decision is likely to reverberate across EU centrist circles, just five months before EU elections.
“As head of Renew Europe, Stéphane Séjourné has shown an exceptional sense of diplomacy, negotiation and teamwork. The [Foreign Ministry] is one worthy of his talent,” French Renew lawmaker Valérie Hayer posted on X.
Séjourné, who had been Macron’s EU adviser before becoming Renew’s secretary-general, was seen by many of his fellow MEPs as the natural choice to lead the EU race for the Renaissance party, where he is also the secretary general, blurring the lines between the party and the Renew political group.
“It has to be Séjourné [leading the Renaissance charge],” a group adviser told Euractiv just days earlier. Renaissance is trailing Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement national in polls with a rather steady 10-point gap in the past few months.
France’s new cabinet turns right, Renew's Séjourné is FM, political heavyweights stay put
The new French government was unveiled on Thursday afternoon (11 January), with most political heavyweights still in, while the right makes a grand entry with two conservative ministers in top jobs and Renew lead Stéphane Séjourné becomes foreign minister.
Second wind
The appointment was part of a government reshuffle that put Gabriel Attal in charge as France’s youngest ever prime minister – in the hope that this could give Macron and Renaissance’s popularity a fresh wind.
Attal, judged by analysts to be “telegenic” and “fluent”, could be set to take the fight domestically against Rassemblement national (RN) President and its lead EU candidate, 28-year-old Jordan Bardella.
At the European level, polling data from 30 December suggests the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group could leapfrog the European liberals (Renew), gathered around Renaissance, and become the third force in the new European Parliament – which could deal a serious blow to Macron’s European ambitions.
“We’re ready. [The government reshuffle] has absolutely no impact on our strategy,” RN MEP Jean-Paul Garraud told Euractiv.
France’s Macron appoints new PM, hoping to boost EU campaign
Education Minister Gabriel Attal was appointed France’s prime minister on Tuesday (9 January), just months ahead of EU elections, in the hope of setting a new clear political line after heavy political instability that had sapped President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity.
Who’s to take over?
The appointment further complicates the process of finding Renaissance’s lead candidate for the June EU elections as Séjourné is very unlikely to take it on. Several names have made the media rounds in recent weeks and months, none confirmed so far by the Elysée.
This includes former Transport and EU minister Clément Beaune, who fell out with Macron over a fairly restrictive immigration bill passed in parliament in December.
Olivier Véran, former health minister and government spokesperson until Thursday, may also be a good candidate, several media reported.
Names as far-fetched as the EU Internal Market Commissionner Thierry Breton and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire were also mentioned.
“Once we know the cabinet in full, we’ll have hints [as to who can run],” a French Renew MEP told Euractiv.
Dutch MEP Malik Azmani, first vice president of the Renew Europe Group, will take over Renew’s leadership in the interim.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
Read more with Euractiv
France’s new cabinet turns right, Renew’s Séjourné is FM, political heavyweights stay putThe new French government was unveiled on Thursday afternoon (11 January), with most political heavyweights still in, while the right makes a grand entry with two conservative ministers in top jobs and Renew lead Stéphane Séjourné becomes foreign minister.
Source: euractiv.com
