On Tuesday 15 July, the French government unveiled the broad outlines of the draft national budget for 2026, which aims to make substantial savings of €43.8 billion.
The government has set as its first rule not to spend any more in 2026 than it did in 2025 (€7 billion in savings hoped for with this ‘blank year’), with the exception of the increase in defence spending (+€3.5 billion) and the cost of public debt (€65 billion in 2025).
Other areas where savings will be made...