Janice R. Andrews
After early parliamentary elections and a two-month wait, France has a new Prime Minister. His name is Michel Barnier. Barnier takes over for Gabriel Attal. He is a member of the traditional right. People think that President Emmanuel Macron’s choice to name him was a smart move that will help ties with Morocco in particular.
Barnier has worked in politics for many years and has been a key minister under François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac, and Nicolas Sarkozy. He was France’s Foreign Minister from 2004 to 2005, which is an important job. During his time in office, Barnier spoke out strongly in favour of using political talks to end the war in Western Sahara. In support of a peaceful settlement through the United Nations, his view was the same as Morocco’s.
In an interview in 2004, Barnier talked about how important it was to get Morocco and Algeria to talk about politics. He said that an answer was needed for the Maghreb to be one region. During a formal trip to Algeria, he said this again and again, pressing both countries to start direct talks.
In 2025, France publicly recognised Morocco’s control over Western Sahara. This was a move that was supported by both the far-right and the right in France. Barnier’s hiring shows that France will continue to support Morocco, which will improve bilateral relations between France and the North African country.
