The last council of ministers before the vote of trust on September 8 will take place this Wednesday, September 3. Unless surprised, it will be the last time that Emmanuel Macron, François Bayrou and the entire current government will come together, who should indeed fall next week. This Sunday, August 31, during an interview with the four continuous information channels, of which CNews, the Prime Minister said that the Games were not yet made.
“The days that come will be crucial”he assured, promising that he will not abandon the “Fighting” that he leads. Also tomorrow, the tenant of Matignon will continue his appointments with the opposition parties. François Bayrou will invite representatives of UDR and freedoms, independent, overseas and territories (Liot) on Wednesday. The UDR will be represented by Éric Ciotti and the deputy Gérault Verny.
2 – Mercosur: meeting of European commissioners
The text of the Mercosur should be registered on the agenda of the meeting of European commissioners which will take place this Wednesday, September 3, according to information from Politico. Mercosur, as well as a commercial text with Mexico, are part of the European strategy aimed at diversifying its outlets in a context of increasing tensions with China and the United States, the latter having recently imposed on the EU an agreement deemed unbalanced.
The idea would be to adopt them within the framework of a “Latin American package”, before submitting them to the Member States for validation. Presented as “Exclusively European agreements”they could be ratified by qualified majority on the Council and the European Parliament, without going through national parliaments, which would considerably accelerate its adoption.
The agreement with Mercosur – which brings together Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia – is considered strategic since it would open up to European exporters a market of more than 280 million consumers. But it arouses strong reluctance, especially in France, where farmers and political leaders fear the influx of South American products such as beef or poultry, perceived as a threat to local sectors. Emmanuel Macron therefore claims an additional protocol offering more guarantees. The subject was discussed at the Franco-German summit in Toulon, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended a rapid ratification. If the Commission is refused for the moment to any official comments, the opening of this process promises to be sensitive and could relaunch the debates on the balance between commercial opening and protection of vulnerable sectors in Europe.
3 – Decision in the procedure for gross negligence against the state of the parents of Estelle Mouzin
This Wednesday, September 3, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, at 2 p.m., the decision will be made in the procedure for gross negligence against the state of Estelle Mouzin’s parents at the Paris court. Twenty years after the disappearance of the little girl, her father, Éric Mouzin, initiates unprecedented procedure against the state, whom he assigned to “Gross negligence” And “Denial of justice”. He denounces a chaotic management of the survey, marked by the passage of ten investigating judges and a file which has become almost inexploitable with its 85 volumes and 85,000 pages. According to him, the considerable deadlines necessary for each magistrate to familiarize himself with the procedure have led to crucial delays, compromising research and plunging the family into a ” fog “ judicial which has lasted since 2003. The hearing is held this Wednesday at the Paris court.
Éric Mouzin claims a symbolic condemnation of the state, in order to avoid the repetition of such errors in other cases. He requests 150,000 euros for material and financial damage, 200,000 euros for moral damage, as well as 10,000 euros for court costs. His lawyers denounce a real “Drift”made of obstruction and absence of responses, even though the case represented an absolute emergency.
This request also highlights the persistent refusal of justice to explore the track of Michel Fourniret, which appeared in 2003 but seriously studied only sixteen years later. Fourniret, sentenced to perpetuity for several murders, died in 2021 without having been tried in this case. In December 2023, Monique Olivier, her ex-wife and accomplice, was however sentenced to life imprisonment for her participation in kidnappings and murders, including that of Estelle.
4 – First selection of the Goncourt price
Tomorrow, the Goncourt Academy will unveil the first selection of its prestigious literary prize. About fifteen novels will be retained among the back -to -school productions, offering authors and publishers a precious, even ephemeral recognition. Goncourt, symbolically endowed with 10 euros but regularly generating hundreds of thousands of sales, will be awarded on November 4.
The process remains mysterious: the ten jurors, subject to strict reserve, cannot publicly comment on the works in the running. Some, like Pierre Assouline, nevertheless bypass the prohibition by expressing their favorites before the selection. Among the favorites mentioned are Nathacha Appanah (Night in the heart), Emmanuel Carrère with Kolkhoze – which could achieve an unprecedented triple after the Femina (1995) and the Renaudot (2011) – as well as Laurent Mauvignier (The empty house), already praised by criticism. The Belgian Amélie Nothomb, regularly named, believes that after her Renaudot in 2021, her chances are slim.
The selection could also include Anne Berest, Sorj Chalandon, David Diop, Raphaël Enthoven, Alice Ferney, Justine Levy or Alain Mabanckou. Like every year, the list will mix large names and discoveries from medium or more confidential houses. It will be reduced to eight on October 7, then to four on October 28, before the final proclamation at the Drouant restaurant.
5 – The good news of the day
Last June, two red pandas were born in the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, a first since 2013. These little ones, now two months old and weighing around 800 g, are starting to get out of their shelter under the watchful eye of their mother Hazel, the only one to ensure care. They still feed exclusively on breast milk and will not consume bamboo until later, as they explore their enclosure and diversify their diet.
Their birth is a rare event for this species classified “in danger of extinction” by IUCN, threatened by deforestation, the fragmentation of its habitat and poaching, with less than 10,000 individuals identified in the wild. These births are added to those of other endangered species this year, such as Edwards pheasants, the Bernache Néné or the Corsac foxes and the yellow mangoustes.
