Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe officially launched his 2027 presidential campaign on July 5 with a rally at the Adidas Arena in Paris, drawing 4,000–5,000 supporters. He outlined a centrist platform focused on education, nuclear energy, climate adaptation, and fiscal responsibility, promising "fair and shared efforts." Philippe emphasized his personal background and experience as Prime Minister, adopting the slogan "Croire en nous" (Believe in Ourselves). The launch positions him as a unifying candidate from the right and center, while facing criticism from left-wing opponents over his record during the Yellow Vest protests.

Multiple wildfires are burning across southern Europe, including in France, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Croatia, and Albania, forcing thousands to evacuate. A major fire in southwestern France near the Spanish border has scorched 4,600 hectares and forced 10,000 people to flee; a suspect has been arrested for accidentally starting the blaze with an angle grinder. In Portugal, a fire has burned 13,000 hectares, with reinforcements from Spain and Italy. Spain evacuated nearly 50,000 people in Girona, and Greece battled fires near Athens and Thessaloniki. The fires follow record-breaking heatwaves in May and June, which scientists link to climate change, and strong winds are expected to worsen conditions. The Tour de France stage in the Pyrenees has been modified to prioritize emergency access.

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Syria, the first visit by a Western European head of state since Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. The Syrian presidency announced the visit, stating Macron will be accompanied by a delegation of investors and representatives of French companies to strengthen economic cooperation. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral relations, discuss reconstruction, security, and minority protection, and follows Macron's earlier hosting of Sharaa in Paris. It signals France's support for Syria's diplomatic rehabilitation and its interest in economic and political influence. The visit follows a bombing in Damascus that killed 10 people. The last French president to visit Syria was Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009.

The French Socialist Party has decided not to vote for a no-confidence motion filed by the Ecologist group against Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's government, citing a need for solutions over political crisis. The motion targets the government's climate adaptation failures. In a bid to dissuade Socialist support, Lecornu has promised to schedule a Socialist bill on climate change adaptation for Senate debate, but has not agreed to increase the Green Fund as requested by the Socialists. The motion is expected to fail without support from the Socialists or the National Rally.

A European Parliament financial report, revealed by Mediapart, accuses the group to which France's National Rally (RN) belongs of violating fundamental principles of public procurement law. Contracts awarded between 2024 and 2025 by the RN's Strasbourg group were linked to companies associated with founders of the identitarian far-right group GUD.

A Paris appeals court has ordered Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH, to pay nearly €22.5 million in back taxes, reversing a 2020 ruling in his favor. The dispute involves ownership structures and tax assessments for 2010 and wealth taxes from 2012-2015. Arnault plans to appeal to the Conseil d'Etat. The case highlights ongoing tax controversies among France's wealthiest individuals.

Background: Fabien Roussel had previously ruled out supporting other left-wing candidates for the 2027 presidential election. Today: Roussel was re-elected as PCF secretary with 70.1% of the vote at the party congress in Lille, reinforcing his ambition to run for president in 2027. The decision has sparked criticism from La France Insoumise, whose leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon blamed Roussel's 2022 candidacy for his own failure to reach the runoff. Roussel defended the move, arguing that a PCF candidate helps combat abstention. Militants will vote on September 6 to choose the party's official candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

The French Army's technical section (STAT) announced that the first two Engins de Bréchage Mécanique de Zone (EBMZ) will soon undergo tactical evaluation, with deliveries of 26 units expected by end of 2025. The EBMZ, based on a militarized tracked tractor with a mine-clearing plow, remote operation capability, and a specialized trailer, restores a critical combat engineering capability for high-intensity operations. The contract worth €94 million was awarded in November 2024 to Bergerat Monnoyeur and Capelle.