On April 20, Jordan Bardella is expected at the Medef for a lunch with the executive board of France's leading employers' organization. The information was revealed by France InterThis is not anecdotal. In the hushed salons where competitiveness and costs are discussed, the presence of the president of the National Rally will mark a moment long unthinkable in this format.
Initially, the meeting was scheduled for early March. It was postponed, but the Medef (French Business Confederation) remains committed to its strategy: observe, listen, and assess. The organization is undertaking a series of meetings with party leaders—those who could potentially govern tomorrow—against a backdrop of strained public finances and an economy hampered by significant challenges.
When employers open the door a crack to the National Rally
For Bardella, this is his first official engagement with the employers' federation. For the Medef (French Business Confederation), it's a continuation of their established strategy: engaging with political forces likely to wield power. The implicit but clear message is that they can no longer afford to ignore a party polling high, even if the relationship remains fraught with ulterior motives and caution.
This sequence of events comes less than a month after another high-level contact. In March, Marine Le PenThe leader of the National Rally (RN) deputies had lunch alone with Patrick Martin, the president of the Medef (French employers' federation), according to France Inter. This rare meeting, the last of which reportedly took place two years ago, is a sign that the exchanges are becoming more intense and moving beyond discretion to border on the overt.
A dialogue that is becoming commonplace in economic circles
The movement isn't confined to the walls of the Medef (French Business Confederation). On April 7, Marine Le Pen dined with about fifteen business leaders, including Bernard Arnault and executives from Capgemini, Engie, Accor, and TotalEnergies, according to her entourage quoted by France Inter. In the business world, curiosity vies with mistrust: people want to understand the strategy, the budgetary credibility, and the role of business, without necessarily endorsing the project.
One phrase, uttered on France Inter by a member of the Medef (French employers' federation), sums up the times: "Meeting with the National Rally is no longer taboo." This may be the real turning point, a de facto normalization, at least in terms of dialogue. The lunch on April 20th won't reveal everything, but it will add to a series of signals, and in this game of invitations, as in business, doors that are opened ajar often end up opening wider.
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