Overview
- Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told deputies he will seek to suspend the 2023 pension reform until the 2027 presidential election and confirmed he will not use Article 49.3.
- Socialist leaders hailed the suspension as a victory and signaled they may withhold censure, giving the government a short-term reprieve.
- Two censure motions from LFI and the RN remain on the docket and could be examined within days under the 48-hour rule.
- Draft budgets approved in the Council of Ministers include a tax on holding companies, a partial extension of the exceptional corporate profits levy, and a 2026 freeze of pensions and social benefits.
- Lecornu cited a suspension cost of about €400 million in 2026 and €1.8 billion in 2027 to be offset by savings, reiterated a deficit goal below 5% of GDP, and Macron warned a successful censure would trigger dissolution.