Finance Minister Lescure says he would rather avoid budget ordinances if Parliament stalls

On Sunday, Finance Minister Roland Lescure expressed a preference for steering clear of budget ordinances if the National Assembly cannot reach agreement on the 2027 finance bill. He likened the ordinance route to a safety slip road, emphasizing that it would bypass meaningful parliamentary discussion. Lescure defended a budget plan that keeps the deficit at 5% of GDP, arguing it is necessary even as debt levels worry investors.

Because the government does not hold a majority, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu could be forced to use Article 49-3 of the Constitution to adopt the text without a vote, provided the Socialist Party or the National Rally abstain from censure. The budget’s revenue chapter was almost unanimously rejected in committee, and the revised draft now exceeds the deficit target by more than eight billion euros. Lescure also clarified that a one-year waiting period for non-European foreigners receiving certain benefits resulted from talks with the republican right, not the National Rally, and stressed the need for a coalition spirit in a fragmented France.