Borne comes from the Socialists and has to push through a reform that is criticized by the left.
(Photo: via REUTERS)
Paris Elisabeth Borne is not shaken, she appears sober and calm in interviews. The 61-year-old prime minister has been defending the controversial pension reform that is currently being debated in parliament in France for weeks.
The reform is President Emmanuel Macron’s most ambitious project, and it is about his political legacy. However, the issue is socially sensitive and has been widely criticized. Macron pushes Borne in the discussion about it.
Borne accompanied the first round of debates in the National Assembly, which ended on Saturday night, with numerous interviews. Now the project is coming to the Senate; it should be adopted by the summer.
The distribution of power is regulated in France, the prime minister takes care of domestic politics, the president foreign affairs. Macron used to tackle all areas, now he shares the tasks with Borne. France’s media refer to them as Macron’s “shield”.
Since January, Borne has repeatedly had to justify why the retirement age is to be raised from 62 to 64 and why the contribution period is to increase to 43 years faster than planned. “It’s not easy, but it’s necessary,” Borne repeats.
France is heavily indebted and prospects for pension funds are poor. Signs such as “Borne to die” or “Borne out” could be seen at the numerous demonstrations against the reform. According to polls, the prime minister’s popularity is steadily declining, Macron’s less so.
Borne is under pressure
Because Borne does not let herself be disturbed, as a strategist in negotiations and a pragmatic technocrat, Macron chose her. The President looks on from the background, just as he did in Spain, where he signed a friendship agreement a few weeks ago, as people in France took to the streets to demonstrate. At another protest, he received the Minister of Defense and the Speaker of Ukraine’s Parliament.
Signs such as “Borne to be dead” or “Borne out” could be seen at the numerous demonstrations against the reform. According to polls, the prime minister’s popularity is steadily declining, Macron’s less so.
(Photo: Reuters)
Borne comes from the Socialists and has to push through a reform that is criticized by the left. She is the ideal person for Macron, loyal and experienced in government.
Previously, she was Minister for Transport, Environment and Labor under him. As Minister of Transport, she pushed through a controversial railway reform, abolished railway workers’ privileges, especially retirement regulations. As Labor Minister, she was responsible for labor market reform.
Born in Paris, Borne has worked her way up the ranks. She lost her father early and grew up in difficult circumstances under state care, but still attended elite engineering schools. She advised the socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin in the 1990s and later headed the Paris public transport company RATP.
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Borne not only has to ensure that he is open to negotiations with the unions and the French, he is also under pressure from the composition of the National Assembly.
The government is dependent on conservative Republican votes to pass the reform because it no longer has an absolute majority. If that doesn’t work, Article 49, Paragraph 3 of the Constitution, which can be used to push through a law without a vote, remains.
When Borne took office in France, it was said that Macron had found his “Swiss knife”. She has to prove her versatility in the battle for pension reform.
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