France: PM forces budget through parliament
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has used a special constitutional provision to push through the 2026 budget without a vote in the National Assembly. He justified the move stressing that the situation was deadlocked, but "France needs a budget". The left and the far-right Rassemblement National promptly tabled a motion of no confidence.
No willingness to compromise
France's government is more worried about its power than about the country, Le Quotidien observes:
“It seems that French politicians are stuck in their bubble and fighting to gain power by putting others down. They are incapable of reaching an agreement and forging the famous coalitions that are so common in neighbouring countries. Apparently, the country and its people are not even worth making a few concessions for, so as to move forward and initiate change - and above all to reform a nation that is living with an ever-increasing debt burden.”
The young will foot the bill
Economist Olivier Babeau paints a bleak picture of the future in Le Figaro:
“Why does this madness continue? Because it is politically rational, even though it seems economically suicidal. The winners of social transfer are organised, numerous and politically disciplined. The losers (young people, workers, investors, businesses) are fragmented and rarely united. In this constellation, growth has no coalition. Pensions, on the other hand, do. What remains is the bill. Young people will pay threefold: through taxes, through the loss of immediate prosperity, which brings down wages, and through the narrowing of future prospects. Businesses will invest less, and consequently produce less and pay less tax. And the state will take on more debt.”