(FILES) Eric Lombard, former head of insurance companies Cardif and Generali France, poses during a photo session in Paris on December 4, 2017. Eric Lombard was appointed France's Minister for the Economy on December 23, 2024, as France's new government was announced amid efforts to drag the country out of political crisis. The Elysee announced the composition of the cabinet of Francois Bayrou, a 73-year-old centrist who was appointed prime minister on December 13 following the fall of a short-lived conservative-led government. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP) (Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)