Overview
- In a Paris Match interview published Wednesday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government will seek a budget adopted “in winter” and will not defer major fiscal decisions until the 2027 election.
- Lecornu sketched specific savings, notably cuts to reimbursements for medicines judged to have weak therapeutic benefit and measures targeting people who buy more than 50 boxes of medicine a year or visit doctors more than 25 times annually.
- He publicly admitted he is not very optimistic about meeting the 2026 deficit target of 5% of GDP and blamed part of the shortfall on external shocks such as the war in Iran, higher energy prices, and extra costs from French military operations in the Gulf.
- Passage of the winter budget is uncertain because the government lacks a parliamentary majority and the proposed health measures revive politically sensitive debates over franchises and out‑of‑pocket charges.
- Analysts and reports say a much larger correction may be needed to stabilise public finances — independent scenarios cite roughly €35 billion of effort for 2027 and the Sécurité sociale faces a structural gap of about €23 billion, which would mean visible effects on patients and local budgets if cuts go ahead.