French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has announced that he will begin teaching economics and geopolitics at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, though he

will continue to reside in France.

This decision comes as France prepares for a new government following parliamentary elections and the appointment of Michel Barnier as the new prime minister. Le Maire had already indicated that he would not continue in office.

In his farewell speech, Le Maire, 55, a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, highlighted the economic progress made during his tenure since 2017. He emphasized the re-industrialization of France and countered negative views of the country's economy, asserting that France had become the most attractive business location in Europe. He also pointed out that unemployment had dropped, and France's economic growth outpaced that of the UK, Italy, and Germany.

However, Le Maire's departure comes amid mixed results, particularly regarding France’s public finances. The country's fiscal situation has worsened recently, with the EU Commission launching deficit proceedings against France due to excessive borrowing. With public debt at 110% of gross domestic product, France remains one of the eurozone's underperformers, and the goal of reducing borrowing to meet the EU’s 3% limit seems distant. Photo by EU2017EE Estonian Presidency, Wikimedia commons.