Élisabeth Borne

As Education Minister, Élisabeth Borne had to settle the new programme for relationships and sex education, amid strong mobilisation by conservative associations and debate over the content of lessons.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Political responsibility

Following revelations of decades of violence and assaults at the Catholic school Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram, Élisabeth Borne's ministry was criticised for its initially slow response: a regional inspection was launched, while the wider inspectorate general had not yet been instructed to act in early March 2025. Inspections and investigations were subsequently strengthened.

State of the evidence

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Political responsibility

Élisabeth Borne invoked Article 49, paragraph 3 of the Constitution to make her government responsible for adopting pension reform raising the statutory retirement age to 64, as she lacked a guaranteed majority in the National Assembly. The announcement was greeted with jeers and triggered no-confidence motions and a fresh wave of demonstrations.

State of the evidence

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Political responsibility

Beyond pension reform, Élisabeth Borne repeatedly used Article 49.3, particularly for budgets and finance bills. By September 2023, she had invoked it twelve times and used it again for the 2024 budget in October, fuelling accusations of marginalising parliamentary debate.

State of the evidence

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Political responsibility

Following Nahel's death in Nanterre, Élisabeth Borne stated that footage showed an intervention 'manifestly not in accordance with the rules of engagement'. Police unions criticised this statement before the judicial proceedings had concluded and cited the officer's presumption of innocence.

State of the evidence

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Personally implicated

To secure adoption of the immigration law in December 2023, Borne's government accepted substantially tougher legislation following negotiations with the right. The vote divided the presidential majority, with numerous votes against or abstentions, and led to the resignation of Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau.

State of the evidence

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Political responsibility

In June 2022, questioned by a wheelchair user explaining that she could not live on her disability allowance for adults (AAH), Élisabeth Borne spoke about support potentially enabling her to resume employment. The response prompted strong criticism from politicians and associations.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Personally implicated

After several years in which the presidential majority rejected excluding spouses' income from calculations of the disability allowance (AAH), Élisabeth Borne's government finally supported the reform in 2022. The National Assembly unanimously adopted the principle of no longer calculating the benefit on the basis of the partner's income.

State of the evidence

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Political responsibility

Facing fuel shortages caused by strikes at refineries and depots, Élisabeth Borne announced the requisitioning of essential personnel at Esso-ExxonMobil depots. CGT denounced an infringement of the right to strike and challenged the measure in court.

State of the evidence

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Political responsibility

The Council of State suspended implementation of the new unemployment benefit calculation method promoted by Élisabeth Borne, finding that economic circumstances were too uncertain and that the reform could significantly disadvantage people alternating short contracts and unemployment.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Political responsibility

As Transport Minister, Élisabeth Borne promoted the 2018 rail reform, including ending recruitment under railway workers' special employment status for new hires and opening the market to competition. The reform triggered a long and widely supported strike at SNCF.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Political responsibility

During consideration of the railway reform, opponents claimed that a secret plan to privatise SNCF was being prepared. The controversy resurfaced when the bill provided for a change in the company's legal structure.