Michel Barnier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michel Barnier
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Prime Minister of France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 September 2024 – 13 December 2024 |
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| President | Emmanuel Macron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Gabriel Attal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | François Bayrou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Michel Jean Barnier
9 January 1951 La Tronche, France |
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| Political party | LR (2015–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations |
UDR (1967–1976) RPR (1976–2002) UMP (2002–2015) |
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| Spouse |
Isabelle Altmayer
(m. 1982) |
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| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Éric and Nicolas Altmayer (brothers-in-law) René Altmayer (grandfather-in-law) Victor Joseph Altmayer (great-grandfather-in-law) |
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| Alma mater | ESCP Business School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  |
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Michel Jean Barnier (born 9 January 1951) is a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France from September to December 2024. He has been a member of several Gaullist political parties.
Barnier has held many important roles in the French government. He was also a key figure in the European Union (EU). From 2010 to 2014, he was the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services. He also served as vice-president of the European People's Party (EPP). From 2016 to 2021, he was the EU's main negotiator for Brexit, which was Britain's exit from the European Union.
In August 2021, Barnier tried to become his party's candidate for the 2022 French presidential election. However, he came in third place. In September 2024, President Emmanuel Macron chose him to be Prime Minister. This happened after the 2024 snap legislative election.
At 73 years old, Barnier was the oldest person to become Prime Minister under the French Fifth Republic. He took over from Gabriel Attal, who was the youngest at 34. His government lasted only three months. On 4 December 2024, Parliament voted against his government. This is called a no-confidence vote. The next day, Barnier and his government resigned. François Bayrou became the new Prime Minister on 13 December. Barnier's time as Prime Minister was the shortest in the Fifth Republic.
Barnier is known as a pro-European and Gaullist conservative. He has supported stricter rules on immigration from outside Europe. He also wanted more prison space and mandatory minimum sentences for some crimes.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Michel Jean Barnier was born in La Tronche, France, in 1951. His family had Gaullist political beliefs. His father, Jean Barnier, worked with leather and textiles. His mother, Denise Durand, was a Christian and started a local group against road violence. Michel was the youngest of three sons.
When he was young, Barnier was a scout and sang in a choir. He finished his studies at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) in 1972. While at ESCP, he was classmates with Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who later became Prime Minister. He was also part of the Conférence Olivaint, a student group that helps prepare people for political life.
Political Career
National Politics in France
In the 1970s, Barnier worked for different Gaullist ministers. In 1978, at age 27, he was elected to the National Assembly. He represented the Savoie region for the Rally for the Republic (RPR) party until 1993.
In 1982, Barnier became the youngest president of the departmental council of Savoie. This happened after an agreement between right-wing and centrist parties. In 1992, he helped organize the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.
Barnier first joined the French government as Minister of the Environment in 1993. In 1995, Jacques Chirac made him Minister for European Affairs. He held this role until 1997. From 1999 to 2004, he was a European Commissioner for Regional Policy. Later, he served as Foreign Minister from 2004 to 2005. In 2007, under President Nicolas Sarkozy, he became Minister of Agriculture.
European Politics
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In 2006, Barnier worked as a special adviser to José Manuel Barroso, who was then the President of the European Commission. He suggested creating a European civil-protection force. From 2006 to 2007, he was part of the Amato Group. This group of European politicians worked on rewriting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Their work led to the Treaty of Lisbon.
Barnier led his party's list for the 2009 European Parliament election in the Ile-de-France region. In February 2010, he became the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services. In this role, he worked on reforming the European banking system. He wanted "intelligent rules that apply everywhere" in the single market. He also handled the banking union and the digital single market.
In March 2014, Barnier tried to become the European People's Party's candidate for President of the European Commission. He lost to Jean-Claude Juncker. From 2015, Barnier was an unpaid special adviser to Juncker on defence policy.
Brexit Negotiator
On 27 July 2016, Barnier was chosen to be the European Commission's chief negotiator. His job was to lead talks with the United Kingdom about leaving the European Union. This process is known as Brexit. Jean-Claude Juncker said he wanted an "experienced politician for this difficult job."
From 2019 to 2021, Barnier led the European Commission's Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom. He was the main negotiator for the 2020 trade deal talks between the UK and the EU. In January 2021, he became a special adviser to President Ursula von der Leyen. He oversaw the final approval of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
2022 Presidential Campaign
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In February 2021, Barnier started a political group called "Patriot and European." This was in preparation for a possible run in the 2022 French presidential election.
On 27 August 2021, Barnier officially started his presidential campaign. At his party's meeting in December, he came third in the first round of voting. He then supported Valérie Pécresse, who won the party's nomination. Pécresse later finished fifth in the presidential election. After this defeat, Barnier mostly stayed out of front-line politics for three years.
Prime Minister of France
After the 2024 French legislative elections, President Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier as Prime Minister on 5 September 2024. The previous Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, had resigned. The time between Attal's resignation and Barnier's appointment was the longest period France had without a full government.
Barnier faced big challenges as Prime Minister. He needed to form a new government and get Parliament's approval. He also had to submit the 2025 budget by 1 October. This was difficult because the budget already had a large deficit. On 6 September, Barnier said he would continue some of Macron's policies. This included keeping the retirement age at 64. He also spoke about controlling immigration.
The National Assembly was divided into three main groups. The leftist New Popular Front had the most seats. Macron's group, Ensemble, was in the middle. The far-right National Rally was the third group. Marine Le Pen, the leader of National Rally, said Barnier respected her party's voters. However, the New Popular Front did not support Barnier's appointment. They called for protests against Macron's decision. Around 110,000 people protested in various cities across France.
On 2 December 2024, Barnier used a special power, Article 49.3 of the French Constitution. This allowed him to pass the 2025 Social Security budget without a parliamentary vote. This decision led both the New Popular Front and the National Rally to file motions of no confidence. On 4 December, a majority of deputies voted to remove Barnier's government. This was the first time a French government lost a no-confidence vote since 1962.
Political Views
After he became Prime Minister in 2024, the BBC described Barnier as a "committed, patriotic conservative." He follows the ideas of Charles de Gaulle. In July 2024, Barnier told Politico that France's biggest problems were immigration, public finances, and rebuilding its industries and farms. When he became Prime Minister, he said his main goals were education, security, and controlling immigration.
During his 2021 presidential campaign, Barnier suggested a public vote on stricter immigration laws. He wanted to "stop non-European immigration for three to five years." He also proposed stopping regularizations and limiting family reunification. He wanted to reduce foreign students and make sure people who commit crimes are deported. He also suggested adding 20,000 more prison spaces. He supported mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes.
On economic issues, Barnier's ideas are similar to Emmanuel Macron's. He supports reducing taxes and business rules. As a presidential candidate, he proposed cutting production taxes by €10 billion. He also wanted to raise the retirement age from 62 to 65. He aimed to lengthen the working week and make it harder to get social assistance. Barnier is seen as pro-European and supports NATO. He also favors helping Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Personal Life
Barnier has been a member of the Sustainability and Legacy Commission of the International Olympic Committee. He also served on the board of Friends of Europe, a research group in Brussels. In 2021, he published a book called My Secret Brexit Diary. This book is about the EU's talks with the UK during Brexit.
In 1982, Barnier married Isabelle Altmayer, who is a lawyer. They have three children. In October 2024, Barnier had surgery for a neck problem.
Honours and Decorations
National Honours
- Officier of the Legion of Honour
- Commander of the Order of Agricultural Merit
- Commander of the Order of Maritime Merit
Foreign Honours
- Knight Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
- Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry
- Grand Officier of the Military Order of Christ
- Commander of the Order of the Star
- Cross of the Order of Merit of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
See also
In Spanish: Michel Barnier para niños
