Moulin told lawmakers at a confrontational but respectful hearing before his confirmation that he would respect the bank’s independence as its governor and insisted he was well-qualified for the job.
“I am confident that I could independently lead an institution that is proud of its history and focused on the future, dedicated to a reliable currency and a strong, stable and sustainable economy,” Moulin said.
Moulin spent years working at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, serving as deputy chief of staff to current European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde when she was minister, and as chief of staff to Bruno Le Maire, one of her successors.
Moulin’s critics, however, had deemed him too close to Macron to be considered sufficiently independent. Some lawmakers planned to vote against the 57-year-old as a way to punish Macron for a recent controversial slate of appointments that appear to either be political patronage or an attempt to retain power after the 2027 presidential election.
Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a top-ranking lawmaker from the far-right National Rally, also saw Moulin as partly responsible for the perilous state of French finances given his high-level roles during Macron’s years in office.
“You are the embodiment of the deep state,” Tanguy said.
