The former European Commissioner, who defines himself as a “social Gaullist”, finished 3rd in this primary, ultimately won by Valérie Pécresse in December 2021. Here is a summary of the positions he presented in this campaign.
Immigration: a 3 to 5 year break
The former European commissioner had defended very firm positions on immigration and security: “We don't fix anything, we don't build anything without security and if smugglers and judges are the ones who decide who can enter France and who can stay there. “, he told Le Figaro in November 2021.
Mr Barnier therefore proposed a “moratorium” on immigration for three to five years: this “pause” would be a “precondition for taking control of our migration policy”, he explained. With this in mind, the candidate wanted to “stop the unconditional regularization of undocumented immigrants”, “accelerate the process of asylum seekers”, tighten the criteria for family reunification and reduce the issuance of long-stay visas.
He surprised, even shocked, even in his own camp, by supporting a referendum that would allow the regaining of “freedom of maneuver” in the matter of immigration, thus suggesting that France free itself from the rules guaranteed by the legal authorities the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Criticized, he criticized “cries of outrage” and a “stupid polemic”, and claimed that on immigration, “if we don't change anything, there will be more Brexits”.
Economy: debt control, but new spending
The 2022 presidential candidate promised at the time a “strict austerity trajectory” for the state budget and “debt control.”
To stimulate “return to work and activity, […] the key to growth,” recommended cutting taxes on production by €10 billion and lowering social taxes on intermediate wages from 1.6 to 2.5 the minimum wage – while planning to raise wages in “essential public services of health and education “.
An advocate of “brave reforms”, Mr Barnier suggested “the transition to retirement at 65” and “greater efficiency of state” and local authorities, “in particular to eliminate all our administrative duplication”.
Social: the fight against welfare and aid fraud
Reciting a classic right-wing mantra, the former minister said he wanted to “encourage work and merit over welfare”, notably by suspending unemployment benefits “after two refusals of a reasonable offer”. However, he declared himself “much more concerned” with social dialogue than President Macron.
Mr Barnier also said he wanted to fight social fraud, particularly in health insurance, and to do so he proposed replacing all Vitale cards with biometric cards, to “save considerable sums” by eliminating a “real nest of fraud”.