23/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - The French Minister for the economy and finances, Thierry Breton, was to meet the Commissioner in charge of Economic and Monetary Affairs, Joaquin Almunia, on Monday evening, in order to discuss the French budgetary deficit, which Paris hopes to bring under the 3% level in 2005, by dint of a nest egg of an additional 2.3 billion EUR received at the end of 2005, under the heading of corporate tax payments. Mr Almunia's spokesperson declined to make any comments before the interview, during which the Commissioner was expected, nonetheless, to point out that he prefers measures of a structural nature in order to come in line with the criteria of the Stability Pact. In its latest autumn forecasts, the Commission anticipated a deficit of 3.2% for France in 2005, and an even greater one in 2006, at a level of 3.5%.