The European Commission believes that France is meeting the commitments it has made to reduce its colossal public deficit, while noting the “considerable uncertainty” surrounding the budget proposal for 2026.
The French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, speaks during a question session to the government at the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, in Paris, on November 25, 2025. (Photo: Thomas SAMSON / AFP
European Parliament (Strasbourg, France) – In its opinion on the budgetary prospects of the 27 member states, presented before the European Parliament, the Commission emphasized on Tuesday that the French government’s budget proposal was “in line” with the recommendations issued under the excessive deficit procedure launched in July 2024 against Paris.
The Commission has given France until 2029 to get back on track and bring its deficit below 3% of GDP, the limit set by the European Stability Pact.
In its opinion, Brussels notes that according to its own forecasts published in mid-November, the French public deficit is expected to fall to 4.9% of GDP next year compared to 5.5% this year, levels very close to the government’s forecasts, which anticipates a deficit of 4.7% in 2026 after 5.4% in 2025.
“However, this assessment is surrounded by considerable uncertainty, given the ongoing parliamentary discussions,” warns the European executive. Eight other member countries are under the excessive deficit procedure, including Belgium, Italy, and Poland. (November 25, 2025)
