PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled his new cabinet on Friday, holding on to more ministers from his last government than had been anticipated after he promised a “new way” of ruling following his re-election in April.
Here is a list of who holds key portfolios:
FINANCE MINISTER BRUNO LE MAIRE, 53 [STAYS]
* Le Maire served as finance minister throughout Macron’s first term, pushing through tax cuts and pro-business reforms before propping up the COVID-19 ravaged economy with unprecedented state support for companies and households.
* Le Maire brought France’s public finances in line with EU rules for the first time in a decade before his pandemic spending inflated the deficit to record levels.
* He locked horns with the Trump administration over France’s digital services tax and is a leading advocate of a global minimum corporate tax.
* A fluent German-speaking ex-diplomat, Le Maire is a keen runner and a fan of classical music and fast cars.
INTERIOR MINISTER GERALD DARMANIN, 39 [STAYS]
* Drawn from the ranks of the conservative Les Republicains, Darmanin helped implement Macron’s main tax reforms as his budget minister and oversaw an overhaul of tax collection.
* Appointed interior minister in 2020, Darmanin led Macron’s fight against violent extremism and Islamist radicals who challenge France’s secular values. Critics say they gave outsize powers to police and chipped away at democratic protections.
* Public prosecutors in January called for a rape investigation against Darmanin to be dropped. He had denied any wrongdoing.
FOREIGN MINISTER CATHERINE COLONNA, 66
* France’s ambassador to the United Kingdom since 2019, she is the second woman to take the helm of France’s foreign ministry after a short failed stint by Michele Alliot-Marie in 2010.
* A seasoned diplomat, Colonna was also ambassador to Italy and has held posts in Washington and Brussels. She was also secretary of state for European affairs for two years from 2005. * In France, however, she is best known as late President Jacques Chirac’s spokeswoman, a job she held for nine years.
ENERGY MINISTER AGNES PANNIER-RUNACHER, 47, [PROMOTION]
* Pannier-Runacher will be tasked with enacting Macron’s promise to revive the country’s ailing nuclear sector and boost the rollout of more renewables, while also easing voter frustration over surging pump and power prices.
* She joined Macron’s government in 2018, serving most recently as industry minister. Earlier in her career she moved between the public and private sectors.
LABOUR MINISTER, OLIVIER DUSSOPT, 43 (PROMOTION)
* The former Socialist lawmaker, who served as Macron’s budget minister in the last government, takes over the ministry.
* He is likely to be in charge of ushering through the pension reform that could see the retirement age pushed from 62 to 65.
* He will also have to find a way to continue creating jobs as France tackles growing economic problems.
(Editing by Richard Lough and John Irish)
