While the government of Michel Barnier, censored in December, was counting on 60 billion in effort this year, the new Minister of the Economy, Eric Lombard, announced Monday January 6 that he was aiming for a slightly less budgetary effort: “We is rather around 50 billion euros,” he declared on France Inter, specifying: “It will essentially be savings.” “There will be no new tax increases compared to those that have already been announced,” he added, in accordance with what Public Accounts Minister Amélie de Montchalin promised.
For 2025, the government is also targeting a public deficit of between 5% and 5.5% of gross domestic product, in order to “protect growth”. “It will be less than 5.5% and more than 5%,” declared Eric Lombard, more than the objective of a deficit of 5% of GDP targeted by the previous government. In 2024, the deficit will be “around 6.1%”, added the minister.
A more “fruitful” dialogue with the left than the RN
With Amélie de Montchalin, Eric Lombard will receive from today, and until François Bayrou’s general policy declaration on January 14, the political forces, in order to prepare the budget for 2025 which France is deprived of due to of censorship from the government of Michel Barnier. After Marc Fesneau, president of the MoDem group in the National Assembly received at 9:00 a.m., will follow at 12:00 p.m. Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, Boris Vallaud, president of the Socialist group in the National Assembly, and Patrick Kanner, his counterpart in the Senate . Environmentalists and communists should be received on Wednesday. Friday, it will be the turn of the RN, according to Eric Lombard.
“We are going, with the Prime Minister, with the other members of the government concerned, in particular Catherine Vautrin who manages pension issues, to look […] which policy seems to us to be consistent with the objectives we have set for ourselves and which responds to their requests as well,” explained de last.
“I think, as the week begins, that there is more prospect of a fruitful dialogue with the left-wing parties than with the National Rally”, despite the refusal of LFI to exchange with it, said Eric Lombard. He stressed that he would “not necessarily” align with the red lines of the leader of the RN deputies Marine Le Pen, because “the approach by red lines is an approach that traps everyone […]there is no solution with the red lines.” “But […] I am open, we will see what the dialogue gives,” he added.