The government announced on Tuesday that six billion euros in savings on expenses could be achieved in 2026 to offset the cost of the war in the Middle East.
Minister of Action and Public Accounts David Amiel stated that the effort would amount to four billion euros on the State, and two billion euros in the “social sphere”.
These savings could involve credit freezes or “targeted cancellations”, but the details of these decisions have not been finalized. An “update” on the proposed measures will be provided “before the next alert committee”, scheduled for June, according to Bercy.
These announcements came after a meeting at Bercy of the public finance alert committee, chaired by David Amiel and Minister of Economy Roland Lescure, in the presence of parliamentarians, representatives of local elected officials, social security, and social partners.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had previously requested his government on Tuesday, in a letter, to implement four billion euros in “additional spending restraint measures” within ministerial budgets.
Later in the afternoon, Mr. Lecornu announced the upcoming creation of a “support mechanism” for about three million “heavy drivers” affected by the rise in fuel prices, as well as increased support for fishermen and farmers.
The war in the Middle East has led to an increase in debt burden of around 3.6 billion euros, totalling 64 billion euros in 2026, surpassing the budget of the National Education (excluding pensions), as specified by Bercy.
Amid the energy crisis, any new public expenditure necessary due to the crisis would result in the cancellation of a planned expenditure “to the last euro”, in order to meet the objectives for 2026, according to David Amiel.
The government has already committed 150 million euros in support spending to combat the crisis, including 90 million euros in sectoral aid and 60 million to strengthen the energy check.
Following the meeting, Eric Coquerel, Chairman of the Finance Commission of the National Assembly, criticized the government’s efforts focusing on expenditure, “aggravating the situation”, rather than on revenue.
“In this situation, we cannot only view it through the budget lens”, and “not all solutions will be purely budgetary,” reacted CFDT’s general secretary, Marylise León.
However, business leaders expressed concerns about the possible reconsideration of employer contribution reductions for low-wage workers.
The finance alert committee convened for the first time in April 2025 and announced an additional spending cut of five billion euros in June of that year.
