Clearly decreased public expenditures, regulatory simplifications, and a more efficient state administration are some of the watchwords for what François Bayrou is planning.
Production is too weak and the debt is overwhelming, he says to the newspaper Le Journal.
When the debt becomes overwhelming, the deficits become unsustainable, he adds.
The issue is serious enough to leave the decision to the people.
I do not rule out any alternative, he says about the possibility.
This would, however, require the president to propose a referendum.
France's budget deficit soared to nearly 6 percent of GDP last year – which can be compared to the EU's ceiling of 3 percent. This year, the target is set at 5.4 percent in deficit, but the goal is to get it down to below 3 percent within four years.
The previous French government fell last autumn in the aftermath of a tough political battle over precisely the budget.
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