French Prime Minister François Bayrou
French Prime Minister, François Bayrou, was sounding the alarm on the state of public finances on Tuesday, invoking a “test of truth” while the government tries to sketch a budget for 2026 between demember, rearmament, economic uncertainty and threats of censorship by parliament.
Two months after having the 2025 finance bill adopted in pain in pain, the executive is already preparing its budget roadmap for next year in a context upset by the administration of Donald Trump.
The security disengagement of the United States in Europe forces France to strengthen its military spending while the increase in American customs duties threatens the country’s economic growth.
“This is the landscape now, a tormented landscape in which the mountain stands in difficulty that our country must face,” said François Bayrou during a press conference in the presence of several members of the government.
“Our conviction, the one who justifies the meeting of this morning, is that only an awareness of our fellow citizens, only the confrontation with the eyes open with the truth of our situation can support a determined action,” he continued.
“We must measure the severity of the situation”.
-Bringing back, infographics in support, a production deficit and too low employment rate among young people and seniors, François Bayrou pleaded for a “policy of rebalancing public spending”.
While immediately dismissing two “facility solutions” according to him: an increase in compulsory levies and an increased recourse to debt, described as “dangerous trap”.
In this context, the Prime Minister detailed four “ways of ascent” for the “Himalayas of difficulties” which he had described as soon as he arrived in Matignon last December: strengthening the defense capacities of France, refusing over -indebtedness, refounding public action and encouraging the economic activity of the country.
Without detailing measures immediately, François Bayrou defended a “diagnosis” which must allow “in the weeks and months which have just proposed guidelines and solutions”.
While the finance bill is usually presented in September, the head of government has promised “a much more ambitious and more demanding calendar which will make it possible to bring together all the contributions, all the suggestions, all consultations”.
“” Our goal is that these major orientations and these big choices are offered (…) before July 14, “he said.
(Written by Blandine Hénault, edited by Kate Entringer)
