The ministries are called to “reduce” their expenses for the 2027 budget, except for the defense, and “control their staff” to enable the government to respect its budgetary trajectory, according to a circular from Bercy issued on Wednesday, April 22.
“The preparation of the PLF (budget bill) for 2027 takes place in a particular context, in which the effort undertaken for defense over several years is intended to be continued and intensified in the years to come,” indicates this document sent to ministers on Monday by the Ministry of Action and Public Accounts, confirming information from Les Echos.
This circular is intended to prepare budget conferences, which will begin next week, to launch the budget preparation procedure.
Credits for defense to increase by 6.5 billion
“The reconciliation of this priority with the necessary control of public accounts requires choices,” continues this text. Consequently, “ministerial budgets outside the defense mission must generally decrease in value compared to the initial budget law (LFI) for 2026” and “the staff control included in the LFI for 2026 must be intensified.”
This circular also indicates that “any new measure that affects the trajectory must be offset by equivalent savings measures in spending.” Regarding staff, “given demographic trends that may justify a measured renewal of natural departures, you are asked to propose staff control,” the circular states.
The government will make decisions in the coming months on the credit ceilings for each ministry for the coming year, with publication expected by mid-July. In the 2026 budget, defense credits are up by 6.5 billion, while other “missions” see their budgets stagnate or decrease, excluding sovereign ministries.
The government announced on Tuesday that “6 billion euros in expenses could be halted” in 2026 to offset the cost of the war in the Middle East. At the same time, it has revised down its growth forecast and raised its inflation forecast for the current year. However, it has maintained its objective to reintegrate below the 3% deficit mark in 2029, as requested by Brussels.
