Bayrou presents his plan against the “deadly danger” of debt

French Prime Minister François Bayrou unveiled his shock plan on Tuesday to straighten the finances of a country subject to the “deadly danger” of “crushing by debt”. Similarly, providing in particular to freeze state expenditure and suppress two holidays. Nevertheless, – Bayrou presents his plan against

(Keystone-ATS) Solemn, the Prime Minister assured that “we are at a critical moment in our history”, while the France’s public deficit reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024. However, for a public debt representing almost 114% of GDP, third bayrou presents his plan against larger in the euro zone, behind Greece and Italy.

The Prime Minister. Consequently, at the head of a government which has no majority in the National Assembly and whose political maneuver rooms are very reduced, has justly called for the particularly striking example of Greece, put under international supervision in the 2010s after being carried away by the weight of his debt.

“We must never forget the history of Greece. For example, ” he warned in his speech in Paris, adding that “every second the debt of France increases by 5000 euros”, and deploring that the French consider “as normal for decades that the State pays everything”. “We have become addicted to public spending,” he said.

François Bayrou presented a plan around two axes. one to reduce debt, the other to increase production in a context of gloomy growth, while saving military spending, which must increase by 6.7 billion euros in 2026 to bayrou presents his plan against deal with the constant increase in international tensions.

Its objective is to gradually bring the deficit to 2.9% of GDP in 2029, “threshold from which, in a country like ours, debt no longer increases”.

“Contribution” of the wealthiest

To do this. “the State is fixed as the first rule not to spend more to the euro in 2026 than in 2025, with the exception of the increase in the debt burden and additional expenses for the army budget”.

The State plans to remove 3000 public jobs from 2026, or even “suppress unproductive agencies which disperse the action of the State”. The pensions of the many retirees will not increase in 2026. “all social benefits will be maintained in 2026 at their 2025 level and there will be no exception”.

While Emmanuel Macron is regularly accused by his detractors of being a president in the service of the rich. the center-right government provides for “a bayrou presents his plan against contribution of the wealthiest”, which will be defined by parliamentarians.

“The effort of the nation must be equitable. that is to say to ask little of those who have little and more to those who have more,” said Mr. Bayrou, who also announced a strengthening of the fight against social fraud.

Regarding health spending. and while the authorities have been highlighting the high consumption of drugs by the population for years, the Prime Minister, plans to reduce 5 billion euros in annual social spending.

Out of 2026. efforts on state spending, local communities and social expenditure should save 21 billion euros, the expected profits from the freezing of social benefits and the income tax scale of an additional 7 billion.

Holidays

On the second axis of effort. to increase French production, the Prime Minister proposed the abolition of two of the 11 holidays: Easter Monday, “which has no religious meaning”, and the 8th, which bayrou presents his plan against celebrates the end of the Second World War in Europe, “in a month of May which became a real Gruyère”, given the many public holidays that punctuate it.

This measure will bring “several billion euros to the state budget”, according to him.

The president of the far -right party National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, immediately denounced a “provocation”.

“The abolition of two holidays. also also loaded with meaning as Easter Monday and May 8, is a direct attack on our history, against our roots, and against France of work. No RN deputy will accept this measure, “he said on X.

For his part. the leader of rebellious France (radical left), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, said on X that “Bayrou must be left” and that “injustices must no longer be accepted”.