The prime minister renewed pressure on MPs to pass the 2026 bill by the end of the year today as the deeply divided lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, rejected the tax arm of the bill.
Lekorni appeared to argue there was still time, but called on opposition MPs to stop blocking the legislation, which is expected to move to the Senate after parts of it were rejected by the National Assembly.
Warning for the future
“This is a warning for the future, but yes, we can do it,” Lecorny told French television, adding that there was still majority support in the National Assembly to pass the budget bill.
As both chambers must agree to pass the budget, once the Senate has completed its consideration of the bill, a joint committee will try to reach a compromise between the two chambers before a final vote in the National Assembly.
Lecorny said he would hold talks with political parties in the coming days and insisted that next year’s deficit should be kept below 5 percent of GDP — a looser target than the 4.7 percent originally planned.
Proceedings are ongoing
The draft budget aims to reduce the deficit with a fiscal tightening of more than 30 billion euros, mainly through austerity measures but also tax increases, although Lecorni had said from the beginning that it was clear the legislation would be extensively rewritten in parliament because he did not have a majority.
The government’s initial budget bill was expected to reach the Senate today, meaning amendments already approved by the lower house — which include a raft of tax hikes — will have to be reintroduced or be withdrawn.
