The French debt, an edifying story at 3,000 billion euros
“Through the prism of debt, a whole conception of life in society is taking place. Debt is more than ever a political subject.” Despite a public deficit of 5.5% of GDP in 2023 and a debt of 110%, France was not sanctioned on Friday by the rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s – whose role is to comment on the solidity financial situation of states and businesses. Their level of confidence in the country’s ability to recover is still as high as ever. If this is good news, will the debt fall into oblivion once again? This is what historian Laure Quennouëlle-Corre deplores. In her work “The Denial of the Debt”, she notes that “the French would be insufficiently informed” on this subject, because “as long as we are not faced with the crisis, we have difficulty perceiving its consequences ”. From what we mean by “public debt” to the origins of this denial, Laure Quennouëlle-Corre is our guest to talk about it.
European defense: should France share its nuclear weapons?
“The French doctrine is that we can use it [l’arme nucléaire] when our vital interests are threatened. […] There is a European dimension to these interests. […] Let’s look at what truly and credibly protects us.” What if France made its nuclear deterrent available to its European neighbors? For Emmanuel Macron, nothing should be excluded. In an interview given this Sunday to young Europeans, published by the newspapers of the Ebra group – “L’Est republican”, “Le Progrès”, “Le Dauphiné Libération” – the head of state intends to “open the debate” to at the level of the European Union around “anti-missile defense, long-range weapon firing and [de] nuclear weapon”. These comments did not fail to provoke a reaction in the opposition: “It is madness which increases the risk of nuclear conflict in Europe” according to Mathilde Panot of the LFI group; the president intends to “dispossess the French people of everything they have built”, reacted Marine Le Pen. If nuclear deterrence has been at the heart of State doctrine since 1958, Europe is today faced with the threat of Russia in the East, and the possible re-election of Donald Trump in the West – which threatens to no longer finance NATO. Should this context lead us to rethink deterrence? Our guests debate it.
Finally, also find the chronicles of Xavier Mauduit and Paola Puerari!
28 Minutes is ARTE’s current affairs magazine, presented by Elisabeth Quin from Monday to Thursday at 8:05 p.m. Renaud Dély is in charge of the show on Friday and Saturday. This podcast is co-produced by KM and ARTE Radio.
