French budget talks halted over PM’s migrant comments

Department of Research, Studies and International News  30-01-2025

French budget negotiations were suspended on Wednesday after Socialist Party leaders withdrew from talks in protest over Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s controversial migrant comments.

The dispute erupted when Bayrou, leader of the center-right Democratic Movement, described France as suffering from a “flooding” of immigrants during a television interview on Monday evening, prompting the Socialists Party to cancel Tuesday evening’s scheduled budget discussions.

Talking to news channel LCI, Bayrou stated: “Contributions from foreigners are a positive for a people, so long as they remain proportionate. But as soon as you get the feeling of flooding, of no longer recognizing your own country, its lifestyle and its culture, the feeling of rejection appears.”

The prime minister reinforced his position during Tuesday’s National Assembly session, declaring: “In the French overseas territory of Mayotte and in certain regions of France, the word flooding is the one that is the most precise.”

Accused by the left of echoing far-right rhetoric, Bayrou now faces an uphill battle to secure enough parliamentary support for his deficit-reduction plans, as mandated by the European Union, reported Reuters. The government is seeking to pass the budget by the end of February.

In an interview on Wednesday with Sud Radio, Socialist Party budget representative Philippe Brun stated: “We suspended our negotiations because the words from the prime minister were not dignified.”

Socialist leader Boris Vallaud challenged Bayrou in parliament and accused the prime minister of “knowingly adopting” a far-right term.

Bayrou defended his choice of words, adding: “It’s not the words that are shocking but the reality.”

The prime minister’s center-right government could collapse during budget deliberations if he fails to reconcile with the Socialists.

Bayrou, France’s fourth prime minister within a year, who narrowly survived a no-confidence vote on Jan 16, faces the daunting task of securing approval for an overdue 2025 budget plan.

Similar to his predecessor, Michel Barnier, who was ousted by a no-confidence vote after just three months in office, Bayrou lacks a parliamentary majority in the National Assembly and could face the same fate unless he gains at least partial support from opposition lawmakers.

After Barnier’s austerity budget was scrapped along with his government in December, Bayrou’s primary focus is now on securing a viable budget plan for the current year.

Brun said the Socialists were pressing for an increase in the minimum wage and more investment in the transition to green energy, among other things, and he said he hoped the talks would resume.

Socialist lawmaker Laurent Baumel said in an interview with BFM TV that it was too early to decide what will happen next, but warned that without progress and more government concessions, the party might support another no-confidence motion.