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paris, september 23 (reporter li yang) on september 23, local time, the new french government officially began operations. french president emmanuel macron presided over the first meeting of the new cabinet at the elysee palace in paris that day.

macron said at the meeting that the country has entered a new era and he will help the new government succeed. he said that each participant has a great mission that transcends our differences. he also called on the participants to remain humble and maintain dialogue with french people who have different positions.

the first meeting of the new cabinet lasted only half an hour. after the meeting, french prime minister barnier left in a hurry without speaking to the reporters. among the participants, only france's new interior minister letailou stopped to talk briefly with reporters, saying that the meeting went "very well" but did not disclose more details.

barnier called a meeting of ministers at the prime minister's office earlier in the day. he called on ministers to remain humble and have impeccable conduct. he also called on ministers to respect all french citizens and all political factions and to listen to everyone's opinions.

the list of members of the new french government was announced last weekend, with most ministerial positions replaced, including the minister of the interior, minister of economy and finance, and minister of foreign affairs. the list was drawn up by barnier and approved by macron.

in an earlier interview, barnier put forward the two major priorities of the new government, namely fiscal issues and immigration issues. barnier will soon submit the 2025 fiscal budget to the parliament on behalf of the government. he promised not to increase the tax burden on all french people, but to impose targeted taxes, such as on the rich and large companies.

barnier stressed that france's fiscal credibility must be maintained. according to afp, if no measures are taken to control the public sector budget, france's public deficit is expected to reach 6.2% of its gross domestic product (gdp) next year, which will far exceed the eu's member state deficit limit (3%).

barnier also called for "controlling and limiting immigration". he said the number of migrants coming to france was "becoming unbearable". he mentioned measures taken by neighboring countries such as germany, which have introduced temporary controls at land borders.

the french ministry of the interior, ministry of economy and finance, and ministry of foreign affairs held a handover ceremony on the 23rd. the new minister of the interior letailou said he would be committed to "restoring order", such as ensuring social stability and border security. the new minister of economy and finance armand said he would promote a more robust public finance.

leaders of the french left-wing parties have expressed their dissatisfaction with the new government. faure, the first secretary of the french socialist party, said that the socialist party is planning to impeach the new government in parliament on behalf of the left, but he admitted that without the support of the far-right parties, the impeachment motion is likely to fail. (end)