France’s new government dominated by conservatives and centrists has gathered for the first time as Prime Minister Michel Barnier set budget and migrant issues as top priorities.

By Mathieu Rosemain PARIS (Reuters) -French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said on Sunday that he would not raise taxes on most French taxpayers, although the wealthiest would have to help close a hole in the budget.

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.France’s new prime minister Michel Barnier dangled the prospect of tax increases on wealthy individuals and large corporations as he described the nation’s fiscal situation as “very grave.

"The French people want and need tax justice," Michel Barnier noted after his recent appointment, looking for ways to plug France's budget deficit. View on euronews

France edged closer to having a new government, more than two months after a hung election, as new Prime Minister Michel Barnier's office said he had pulled together a list of ministers he will submit to President Emmanuel Macron later on Thursday.

The new cabinet pulls in allies from the centre and right, despite left-wing parties winning France's election.

French President Emmanuel Macron named a new government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier Saturday, marked by a shift to the right 11 weeks after an inconclusive parliamentary election.