In the autumn of 2021, Michel Barnier, running in the right-wing presidential primary, visited a brasserie in Saverne, near Strasbourg. Silver-haired and with an impeccable suit, he passed by two employees. "I visited your company: nice and professional!" he told them, full of energy, eager to engage in a dialogue. The employees gave him a blank stare, clearly not knowing who he was. The former European commissioner, who spent 15 years in the European Union's corridors, understood he needed to introduce himself: "Michel Barnier, candidate for the presidency of the Republic!"

Little known in France, the former Brexit negotiator has been appointed prime minister at the age of 73, in the midst of a political crisis, with the delicate task of finding a way through an Assemblée Nationale split into three blocs, following the parliamentary elections this summer. His long experience should help him in this, even if, according to a person close to him, "Michel is not aware of the deterioration of public debate in France – it's going to be a shock."

Barnier has held a range of offices: He was elected France's departmental councilor at the age of 22, in 1973; the youngest member of Parliament, in 1978; the youngest president of the Savoie departmental council; four times minister (environment, 1993; European affairs, 1995; foreign affairs, 2004; agriculture, 2007); twice European commissioner; and, finally, Brexit negotiator. Not forgetting his first feat of arms, which he still likes to recall 30 years later: heading the organization of the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Savoie.

Barnier, who will have to reassure Brussels at a time when France is the target of an excessive deficit procedure since June, is respected on the European stage, where he spent 15 years, right up to the hard-fought Brexit agreement in December 2020. The former European commissioner was even applauded – a rarity – by the 27 member states, who praised his art of achieving consensus, his patience and his tenacity, when he served as the deal's negotiator. In the corridors of the austere Berlaymont building in Brussels, even the highly provocative Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, appreciated him. "He's a good negotiator, inclusive, he was very close to us," confided Clément Beaune, the then French junior minister for European affairs, in 2021.

Within the right-wing Les Républicains (LR) party, his detractors have long branded him a "disappointed Macronist." Close to Emmanuel Macron on the substance, notably on the economy and Europe, Barnier has often criticized the president's method. "You can't lead France without bringing everyone into the movement," he repeated during the 2022 presidential pre-campaign, denouncing a "vertical, arrogant and solitary" presidency. His relationship with the president has had its ups and downs. Barnier, who dreamed of heading the European Commission in 2019, was convinced that Macron did not support him. Hurt, he remained bitter.

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