Overview
- Patrick Martin confirmed Wednesday that Medef, France’s main employers’ group, will receive RN leader Jordan Bardella for lunch Monday, April 20, as part of its pre‑2027 political outreach.
- Pushing back at a press conference the same day, Martin said the patronat has not “massively” sided with the RN and noted Medef has already met or will soon meet about ten other party chiefs represented in Parliament.
- The Bardella lunch follows a private April 7 dinner in Paris where Marine Le Pen met a dozen top executives, including Bernard Arnault of LVMH and Patrick Pouyanné of TotalEnergies, a gathering several attendees later described as dismaying due to what they saw as a statist and vague economic pitch.
- Medef also launched its 2027 plan this week, opening an online consultation of business owners through July, promising a policy platform in early 2027, and planning to hear presidential contenders together in February.
- RN figures have courted business circles for months through appearances at employer events, which some outlets cast as a normalization of ties, while others, like Le Figaro, portray the meetings as pragmatic engagement with a major parliamentary force ahead of 2027.