Michel Barnier

**Michel Bernard Barnier** (born 9 January 1951) is a conservative French politician who was the Prime Minister of France from September 2024 to December 2024. He was the European Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom (UK Task Force/UKTF) from 2019 to 2021. He was Chief Negotiator - Task Force for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom from October 2016 to November 2019. In September 2025, he was elected to the National Assembly to represent Paris' 2nd constituency.

## Personal life

Michel Jean Barnier was born at La Tronche in the French Alps, into a Gaullist family in 1951. He graduated from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) in 1972. During his studies at the ESCP, he was a classmate of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, future prime minister.

## Politcal career

In France, he was minister of foreign affairs from 2004 to 2005, minister of state for European affairs from 1995 to 1997 and minister of the environment and way of life from 1993 to 1995.

Barnier unsuccessfully ran for President of France in the 2022 election.

## Prime Minister

On 5 September 2024, Barnier was appointed as Prime Minister by President Emmanuel Macron. At aged 73, he is the oldest person to become prime minister in the French Fifth Republic. His appointment was very controversial since he was seen as a conservative choice for a divided National Assembly.

### Removal

On 2 December 2024, Barnier resorted to using Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to push through the 2025 budget without a vote. The left-wing New Popular Front had already declared its plans to file a motion of no confidence against the government. Marine Le Pen announced later that day her plan to file her own party's motion against the government. On 4 December, a majority of deputies voted to end Barnier's government, which became the first to lose a motion of no-confidence since Georges Pompidou's in 1962.

## Other websites

- Michel Barnier – Head of EU Commission Taskforce for Brexit
- Personal Website at the European Commission (2010–2014)

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office2**: Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union, Head of the UK Task Force
- **deputy2**: Clara Martínez Alberola
- **president2**: Jean-Claude Juncker
Ursula von der Leyen
- **term start2**: 16 November 2019
- **term end2**: 31 March 2021
- **predecessor2**: _Position established_
- **successor2**: João Vale de Almeida (_as Ambassador to the United Kingdom_)
- **office3**: European Union negotiating directives for Brexit, Chief Negotiator of Task Force 50
- **deputy3**: Sabine Weyand
- **president3**: Jean-Claude Juncker
- **1blankname3**: Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Opposite number
- **term start3**: 1 October 2016
- **term end3**: 15 November 2019
- **predecessor3**: _Position established_
- **successor3**: _Position abolished_
- **office4**: European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services
- **president4**: José Manuel Barroso
- **term start4**: 10 February 2010
- **term end4**: 31 October 2014
- **predecessor4**: Charlie McCreevy
- **successor4**: Elżbieta Bieńkowska
- **office5**: European Commissioner for Regional Policy
- **president5**: Romano Prodi
- **term start5**: 16 September 1999
- **term end5**: 31 March 2004
- **predecessor5**: Monika Wulf-Mathies
- **successor5**: Jacques Barrot
- **office6**: Member of the European Parliament
for Île-de-France (European Parliament constituency), Île-de-France
- **term start6**: 14 July 2009
- **term end6**: 10 February 2010
- **successor6**: Constance Le Grip


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office7**: Ministry of Agriculture (France), Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
- **primeminister7**: François Fillon
- **term start7**: 19 June 2007
- **term end7**: 22 June 2009
- **predecessor7**: Christine Lagarde
- **successor7**: Bruno Le Maire
- **office8**: Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (France), Minister of Foreign Affairs
- **primeminister8**: Jean-Pierre Raffarin
- **term start8**: 31 March 2004
- **term end8**: 31 May 2005
- **predecessor8**: Dominique de Villepin
- **successor8**: Philippe Douste-Blazy
- **office9**: Minister Delegate for European Affairs
- **primeminister9**: Alain Juppé
- **term start9**: 18 May 1995
- **term end9**: 3 June 1997
- **predecessor9**: Alain Lamassoure
- **successor9**: Pierre Moscovici
- **office10**: Ministry of Ecological Transition (France), Minister of the Environment
- **primeminister10**: Édouard Balladur
- **term start10**: 29 March 1993
- **term end10**: 18 March 1995
- **predecessor10**: Ségolène Royal
- **successor10**: Corinne Lepage
- **office11**: Senate (France), Senator for Savoie
- **term start11**: 22 September 1997
- **term end11**: 23 September 1999
- **term start12**: 2 October 1995
- **term end12**: 31 October 1995
- **office13**: Member of the National Assembly (France), National Assembly
for Savoie
- **constituency13**: Savoie's 2nd constituency, 2nd (1978–1986)
At-large (1986–1988)
2nd (1988–1993)
- **predecessor13**: Maurice Blanc
- **successor13**: Hervé Gaymard
- **term start13**: 3 April 1978
- **term end13**: 1 May 1993
- **office14**: List of presidents of departmental councils (France), President of the General Council of Savoie
- **term start14**: 14 March 1982
- **term end14**: 13 September 1999
- **predecessor14**: Louis Besson
- **successor14**: Hervé Gaymard
- **office15**: Departmental council (France), General councillor of Savoie
for the canton of Bourg-Saint-Maurice
- **term start15**: 5 September 1973
- **term end15**: 13 September 1999
- **predecessor15**: Alexis Borrel
- **successor15**: Jacqueline Poletti


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Michel Barnier
- **image**: File:Barnier Portrait.jpg
- **caption**: Official portrait, 2024
- **office**: Prime Minister of France
- **president**: Emmanuel Macron
- **term start**: 5 September 2024
- **term end**: 13 December 2024
- **predecessor**: Gabriel Attal
- **successor**: François Bayrou
- **office1**: Member of the National Assembly (France), National Assembly
for Paris's 2nd constituency
- **term start1**: 29 September 2025
- **predecessor1**: Jean Laussucq
- **birth name**: Michel Jean Barnier
- **birth place**: La Tronche, France
- **party**: The Republicans (France), LR (2015–present)
- **otherparty**: Union of Democrats for the Republic, UDR (1967–1976)
Rally for the Republic, RPR (1976–2002)
Union for a Popular Movement, UMP (2002–2015)
- **children**: 3
- **alma mater**: ESCP Business School
- **relatives**: Éric and Nicolas Altmayer (brothers-in-law)
René Altmayer (grandfather-in-law)
Victor Joseph Altmayer (great-grandfather-in-law)
- **signature**: Michel Barnier signature.svg