Bruno Le Maire political manifesto release

Former French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has released a sixty-page manifesto titled ‘Manifesto for another France’ to stimulate political debate leading up to the 2027 presidential election. Although Le Maire has stated he is not currently a candidate, the document outlines a comprehensive political and economic roadmap.

The manifesto is built upon three pillars: authority, prosperity, and sovereignty. To address sovereignty, Le Maire proposes a radical restructuring of the European landscape through the creation of a federation comprising six nation-states: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands. This entity would manage specific shared public policies to bolster European political influence against the United States and China.

On domestic economic matters, Le Maire advocates for significant reforms to address France’s high public debt and fiscal responsibility. His proposals include narrowing the gap between gross and net salaries by reducing the tax burden on workers, maintaining surtaxes on high earners and large corporations, and potentially de-indexing pensions and social benefits. He also suggests increasing the legal retirement age to 65 and centralizing more authority within the Ministry of Finance to oversee public finances and limit parliamentary spending amendments.