French budget bill sets aside €2.3M for Macron’s future offices

In about seven months, French President Emmanuel Macron will vacate the Élysée Palace, prompting the budgeting process for his departure. France's upcoming draft budget, currently under consideration by parliament, allocates €2.3 million to facilitate Macron's relocation into furnished offices, as per a parliamentary report disclosed by POLITICO.

This allocation encompasses rent, service charges, and security for the subsequent six years. Former French presidents enjoy a variety of lifelong benefits, including a pension, office space, a chauffeur, and police protection. During the initial five years post-office, they are entitled to employ up to seven staff members; this number decreases to three thereafter.

Nevertheless, Macron has not yet announced his next professional abode. The Elysée Palace disclosed to POLITICO that the provision is a "precautionary measure ... based on the experiences of previous presidents." Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande are the sole living former presidents currently profiting from these arrangements, despite Hollande's recent return to parliament as a legislator.

In May, Hollande revealed that he is receiving a monthly pension of €5,000 for his tenure at the Élysée, in addition to pensions from prior positions and his existing income. Macron, the youngest president in contemporary French history, will turn 49 upon leaving office and has vowed not to claim his presidential pension. He has maintained a veil of secrecy surrounding his plans for life after the presidency, leaving uncertain the extent to which he intends to remain politically engaged.

Although constitutionally prohibited from pursuing a third consecutive term, Macron will be eligible to run for president again once his successor assumes office. He has not ruled out the possibility of doing so.