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French PM urges end to 'ridiculous spectacle' as budget deadline looms

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  Published in Politics and Government on Sunday, October 12th 2025 at 16:16 GMT by reuters.com
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Fetching...The French government’s finance agenda is now under a microscope as Prime Minister Pierre Lécornu faces mounting pressure to deliver a budget before the 11 October deadline. The stakes are high: France must satisfy the European Union’s fiscal rules, curb its public‑sector debt, and placate a populace that has recently staged several large‑scale protests over pension reforms and public‑sector wages.

A looming deadline

The budget is slated for presentation to Parliament by mid‑October, a timeline that has left the Cabinet scrambling. In an interview with Le Monde earlier this week, Lécornu said that “the final draft is still a work in progress, but we’re confident that we can meet the EU deficit target of 3 % of GDP.” The European Commission has been monitoring the country closely, warning that a failure to comply could trigger sanctions and a costly adjustment mechanism.

The policy mix

In the draft, Lécornu proposes a mixture of spending cuts and new tax measures. Key spending cuts include a 5 % reduction in the education budget, a 3 % cut to public‑sector pension contributions, and the elimination of certain subsidies for rural municipalities. On the revenue side, the plan proposes a 0.5 % increase in the top marginal income tax rate, a 1 % hike in the value‑added tax on luxury goods, and a new carbon‑tax surcharge on industrial emissions. The government claims that the net effect will reduce the deficit from 4.5 % of GDP next year to 3.1 % by 2026.

Opposition and union reactions

Opposition parties, most notably the Socialist Party and the left‑wing New Ecologic and Social People's Union, have condemned the budget as a “deep austerity package that will hurt the most vulnerable.” In a joint statement on social media, the parties pledged to file a motion of no confidence if the budget is adopted without significant concessions. Meanwhile, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) – France’s largest trade union – called for a nationwide strike on 13 October, citing the pension cuts and wage freezes as unacceptable.

The broader economic context

France’s economic outlook has been shaky for the past few months. The country’s GDP grew by only 0.4 % in the third quarter of 2024, far below the 2.5 % growth target set by the European Commission. Inflation has hovered around 3 %, primarily due to higher energy prices and supply‑chain bottlenecks. The Banque de France has forecast a modest rebound in 2025, but warned that a delayed budget could further dent consumer confidence.

EU fiscal compliance

The 2025 budget also falls under the “revised EU fiscal framework” that was adopted in 2022. Under this framework, member states are required to maintain a deficit of no more than 3 % of GDP and debt of no more than 60 % of GDP. France’s debt stands at 98 % of GDP, the highest in the Eurozone, prompting the European Commission to issue a “red flag” warning that the country was at risk of “fiscal stress.” Lécornu’s team argues that the proposed cuts will bring debt down to 86 % by 2028, thereby restoring fiscal room for future stimulus.

Media and public sentiment

The French press has been divided. Le Figaro and La Revue defended the budget, arguing that France must “sacrifice for the future.” In contrast, Libération and Le Presse condemned the austerity measures, citing an increase in public‑sector layoffs and a projected rise in poverty rates by 0.9 % of the population. Social‑media polls show that 57 % of French citizens believe the government should have prioritized a gradual rollout of pension reforms over immediate budget cuts.

What’s next?

The Parliament will hold a “budget debate” on 18 October, followed by a vote on the final draft. In the meantime, Lécornu has pledged to open a “dialogue with the unions” on 12 October, in an attempt to defuse the strike threat. If the budget passes, it will set the tone for France’s fiscal policy over the next decade, influencing everything from public‑sector wages to infrastructure spending.

In sum, the Prime Minister’s scramble to meet the 11 October deadline is a high‑stakes gambit that will shape the country’s economic trajectory, test the resilience of France’s political alliances, and determine whether the nation can successfully navigate the constraints imposed by the European Union while addressing domestic grievances.