French PM aims to make savings of fifty-one billion in next year’s budget

(MENAFN) French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou announced on Monday that he will request a confidence vote in parliament this September as he aims to implement nearly €44 billion ($51 billion) in savings in the 2026 budget.

Bayrou told reporters that he had asked the president, who approved the request, to convene an extraordinary parliamentary session on September 8. Without majority support in the confidence vote, his government risks collapse.

Key opposition parties—including the far-right National Rally, the Greens, left-wing France Unbowed (LFI), and the Socialists—have already declared that they will vote against him. "We will obviously vote against confidence in Francois Bayrou’s government. Only dissolution will now allow the French to choose their destiny," said National Rally leader Marine Le Pen on social media platform X.

Bayrou warned that France faces serious risk due to being "on the brink of over-indebtedness" and stressed the importance of parliamentary approval to implement the proposed budget savings. The 2026 budget framework, presented to the National Assembly on July 15, is part of broader efforts to reduce public debt, which stands at 113% of GDP, among the highest in the EU.

The country also struggles with one of the bloc’s largest budget deficits at 5.8%. Opposition lawmakers have criticized the plan as continuing strict austerity measures, a topic that has caused recurring political tensions. Last year, failure to approve the 2025 budget led to the collapse of the Michel Barnier government after a no-confidence motion was supported by both left-wing and far-right parties.

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