Brussels, 03/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the European Commission was expecting France "soon" to notify it the figures for its budget deficit, which the government assesses at 3.02%. Eurostat should certify this figure on 17 March and the Commission will then decide on this basis to initiate an excessive deficit procedure, the Commission spokesperson recalled. The French Minister of European Affairs, Noelle Lenoir, remarked in Brussels on Monday that "France has not gone over the yellow line: it has bitten it". In the current economic situation, "France does not want to break growth, but is keeping on course". Noelle Lenoir considered that the figure of the deficit "remains contained in relation to the fears we had. It remains below the figures of the German and Portuguese deficits". France "certainly does not have the will to let deficits slide", nor "place the Stability Pact back into question". The minister considered that other Member States, and especially Germany, were showing "great mutual understanding in a difficult economic context".