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Snapshot 4:Mon, Dec 2, 2024 9:31:36 PM GMT last edited by MattKalman

French PM Risks Ouster After Forcing Budget Through Parliament

French PM Risks Ouster After Forcing Budget Through Parliament

Above: French Prime Minister Michel Barnier delivers a speech during the voting session on the draft of the 2025 Social Security bill at the National Assembly, the French Parliament's lower house, in Paris on Dec. 2, 2024. Image copyright: Stephane De Sakutin/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

  • French Prime Minister (PM) Michel Barnier invoked Article 49.3 of the Constitution to force through next year's social security budget without a parliamentary vote, triggering immediate opposition backlash.

  • The budget plan includes €60B (US$63B) in measures, combining €40B in spending cuts and €20B in tax increases, aimed at reducing France's public deficit from this year's 6.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) to 5% next year.

  • Barnier made last-minute concessions, including scrapping planned electricity tax increases and adjusting prescription drug reimbursement policies, but failed to secure sufficient support.


The Spin

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