France's 2026 state budget promulgated after months-long standoff

The newly adopted budget aims to reduce the public deficit to 5 percent of GDP in 2026, down from 5.4 percent in 2025. The initial draft had targeted a deficit of 4.7 percent.

PARIS, Feb. 20 (Xinhaua) -- France's 2026 state budget was promulgated on Friday after being validated a day earlier by the Constitutional Council, ending more than four months of parliamentary debate and a prolonged political standoff.

The bill was adopted on Feb. 2 by the National Assembly, the lower house of the bicameral French parliament, following rejection of motions of no-confidence, and the government's invocation of Article 49.3 of the French Constitution under Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.

According to the French Constitution, Article 49.3 allows the prime minister, with cabinet approval, to force the passage of a bill (typically finance or social security) through the National Assembly without a vote. The bill is deemed adopted unless a motion of no-confidence is passed.

The promulgation also ends a temporary "special law" that extends the 2025 budget into this year, adopted in late December due to the lack of a parliamentary agreement needed to reach a compromise on the country's 2026 budget.

The newly adopted budget aims to reduce the public deficit to 5 percent of GDP in 2026, down from 5.4 percent in 2025. The initial draft had targeted a deficit of 4.7 percent.

While the budget enacts selective spending cuts, it also increases defense appropriations by 6.5 billion euros (7.64 billion U.S. dollars). ■