a debate will take place in the National Assembly on April 29

France’s public deficit reaches 5.5% of GDP in 2023 according to INSEE, more than the 4.9% initially planned by the government.

A debate on the deficit will take place in the National Assembly on Friday April 29, franceinfo learned from a parliamentary source on Tuesday March 26 franceinfo, confirming information from AFP, after the announcement by INSEE of a sharp deterioration in the deficit. budgetary situation. It reaches 5.5% of GDP in 2023 according to INSEE, or 15.8 billion euros more than what the government had planned, complicating the debt reduction objective yet reaffirmed Tuesday by the Minister of the Economy .

“It’s a debate on the orientation law” public finances and “not quite” about “the budget we are talking about at the moment”specified the president of the Economic Affairs Committee of the lower house, Éric Coquerel, on franceinfo. “I asked for it to have at least a debate on the direction [des finances publiques], so it will take place. But this is not a debate on the current budgetary changes which must come before the Assembly”, he added. The oppositions cannot digest that the 10 billion euros in additional budget cuts in 2024 were made without a vote in Parliament.

The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, repeated on Tuesday his objective of falling below 3% in 2027 without increasing taxes. In addition to the 10 billion euros in cuts, it is especially in the 2025 budget that efforts will be made. The government has requested a review of state spending, but also of health insurance and local authorities, with one goal, according to Bruno Le Maire, “firmly abandon all public spending that does not produce the expected results.” He notably cited the daily sick leave allowance.

The government attacked for its excess optimism

The right and left oppositions hold Bruno Le Maire and Emmanuel Macron for “responsible”. “Mr Macron is responsible for this disastrous record!”, reacted on X Éric Ciotti (LR). On franceinfo, Marine Tondelier, the national secretary of the Ecologists, accuses the president of wanting “reset everything except the environment and public services.” Speaking of “lies or incompetence”, PS MP Valérie Rabault, former general rapporteur for the Budget, asked on March 21 on franceinfo “tight management of public finances”. Rather than touching public spending, the rebellious Manuel Bompard advocates “an increase in revenue by concentrating tax increases on the richest”. Several deputies from the majority, the President of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet (Renaissance) in the lead, have also spoken in recent days of targeted tax increases or aimed at superprofits.

On France Inter, Pierre Moscovici, first president of the Court of Auditors, talks about “slippage, excess optimism, unfortunate situation”. “We have the highest public spending in Europe, the highest tax rate in Europe, one of the highest public debts in Europe and one of the highest deficits in the euro zone . With a public debt at 110% of GDP, how do you want to invest in the future, in the ecological transition, in the digital transition, in national education, in innovation and research, in defense?” , he asks.