“It makes or breaks for France”

“It’s make or break for France (and the euro zone) regarding the black hole in the budget”, titre Politico as tension rises in Paris around the 2025 budget. After its rejection in the National Assembly in a strongly amended version, the finance bill will be discussed in session in the Senate from November 25. The upper house will again start from the government copy.

But, while the senators presented their own amendments and the Assembly rejected, on Tuesday, November 19, another government text – a correction of the accounts for the current year – Marine Le Pen increased the tension of a notch. This November 20, the leader of the deputies of the National Rally (RN) declared that she would not hesitate to bring down the government if she did not feel heard. “We will not accept that the purchasing power of the French is further reduced. It's a red line. If this red line is crossed, we will vote for censorship,” she said on RTL.

“Survival test”

This is what constitutes the heart of what Politico calls “a test of survival [pour Michel Barnier]which risks sending o