The Senate Finance Committee is continuing its hearings to try to understand the budgetary slippage that France is facing (deficit of 6.1% of GDP this year compared to 4.4% initially forecast). After the former Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire on Thursday November 7, it is the turn of Gabriel Attal, former Prime Minister from January to July 2024.
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The former head of government Gabriel Attal was invited to speak this Friday, November 8 on the subject of France’s public deficit before the senators (hearing to be reviewed on the Senate X channel). He assured that he made “strong decisions” when he was at Matignon to stem the budget’s slippage. “ We have had warnings (on the deterioration of France’s public finances, Editor’s note) and we have taken, I believe, strong decisions “, he said.
“ We revised the growth forecast, we increased the deficit target, we decided to make 20 billion euros in savings during the year and we prepared a state budget with 15 billion euros savings », argued Gabriel Attal, who has since become leader of the Macronist deputies Ensemble pour la République (EPR, ex-Renaissance).
The deficit expected at 6.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year is a figure far removed from the 4.4% forecast in the fall of 2023 and the 5.1% forecast in the spring after reassessment by the previous executive.
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Have the European elections led to the abandonment of an amending finance bill?
But the one who made a short visit to Matignon mainly had to respond to the refusal to request an amending finance bill before the European elections of June 2024. Why when Bercy sounded the alert, the amending budget and therefore a debate parliamentary request was refused to the Minister of the Economy? Gabriel Attal preferred to proceed by decree or postpone certain savings to the following year. “ This left additional parliamentary time to examine texts: the housing bill, the end-of-life bill, etc. “, he explains. Opposite senators have doubts. A debate in Parliament on a serious financial slippage was not in the interest of the presidential camp just before the European elections.
Gabriel Attal rejects this argument: “ If the compass was the European elections, we would not have canceled 10 billion euros of credits in February, we would not have announced a reform of unemployment insurance in April and May “.
During the discussion, the name of President Macron emerges. Wasn’t it he, after all, who forced the decision? Gabriel Attal recognizes the involvement of the Head of State, but assures him, the decisions are his. Obviously we discuss things with the President of the Republic, but I cannot say that it is he who made the arbitrations. It would be a bit easy for me to do that “.
Also a way to bring a balance sheet to life. During his short stay at Matignon. What I hope is that you will recognize or that those watching us will recognize that we have done some good things. We did what we could. I have no examples of a Prime Minister who canceled 10 billion euros of credits during the year after his appointment. It didn’t make me popular “.
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Bruno Le Maire also explained himself to the Senate
Gabriel Attal, on the other hand, found “ scandalous ” THE ” political, media trial » made to the former Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire, heard Thursday, November 7 by the senators. He greeted his “ obsession with getting France out of debt “. Thursday, Bruno Le Maire refuted any “ mistake ” Or ” concealment » in the face of the significant deterioration of France’s public finances.
The Senate, whose right and center majority was in opposition until the appointment of Michel Barnier to Matignon, had been very offensive in recent years against Bercy and Bruno Le Maire, regularly accused of ” of insincerity ” And ” opacity » vis-à-vis Parliament.
The Senate must also hear Gabriel Attal’s predecessor, Elisabeth Borne, on November 15. The slippage of the French public deficit indeed raises many questions about the reliability of the forecasts of the previous Macronist majority.
Next week, senators will look at the 2025 draft budget and the “60 billion” euros in savings it provides.
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