The right-wing dominated Senate adopted the 2023-2027 budget planning bill on the night of Wednesday November 2 to Thursday November 3, subject to more ambitious public spending cuts than those planned by the government.
This “steering” text was rejected at the end of October at first reading by the National Assembly, for lack of an absolute majority for the macronists.
The government cannot resolve to abandon its bill.
“Leaving our country without a framework and without a trajectory would deeply damage its credibility”
, in particular with its European partners, insisted the Minister of Public Accounts Gabriel Attal before the Senate.
“France needs a public finance programming law”
, European funds risking not being paid, had also affirmed earlier Pierre Moscovici, president of the High Council of Public Finances, in committee at the Assembly.
The Senate has validated the bill, but revised.
Deputies and senators should soon seek a compromise on this text, so that it can continue its parliamentary progress favorably.
According to the version validated overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, the public deficit will have to fall below 3% of GDP from 2025, and not in 2027 as the government plans.
The “ordinary” expenditure of the central administrations will have to decrease by 0.5% in volume each year from 2023, like the expenditure of the communities.
Read alsoBudget programming: the National Assembly rejects the 2023-2027 trajectory
The
“new trajectory of lower spending”
is
“more serious and more ambitious”
, praised the general rapporteur Jean-François Husson (LR).
"You have proposed (...) 37 billion euros in spending cuts, we are going to say that it is ambitious, very ambitious"
, had launched the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire earlier, saying however that he hoped for a compromise.
But the senators on the contrary went further during the session, by voting for an amendment from the Independents to provide for a reduction of 5% over the entire five-year term of public employment, instead of overall stability as the government wishes.
Concerning the communities, they refused
the "unacceptable system of surveillance and sanctions"
included in article 23 of the text to guarantee respect for the evolution of local expenditure.
On another aspect, an environmental amendment was approved so that the national energy policy integrates the
"financial means necessary to achieve the objectives"
set.
The left, however, came out against the entire bill, which reflects
"an obsession with lower taxes"
to the detriment of
"proactive policies"
according to the Socialists.
The Communists denounced
“austerity”
and a
“one-upmanship of the senatorial majority”
.