Overview
- The National Assembly voted 458–0 on Wednesday to reject the revenue part of the 2027 budget, a defeat that invalidates the whole bill in first reading and immediately transmits the government's original text to the Senate.
- Senators will begin examining the unamended government draft on 20 November, after which negotiators could seek a compromise in December through a joint committee or further readings.
- Ministers say the amendments adopted in the Assembly would worsen the public deficit from the planned 5% of GDP to about 5.9% of GDP, a risk amplified by weak growth and a Q3 GDP contraction reported at −0.1%.
- Key changes voted by deputies include removal of the first‑year tax exemption for offshore wind installations and a rollback of mandatory electronic invoicing for very small firms, measures that altered the government's fiscal balance.
- With no clear majority in the Assembly, the government faces two constitutional options to secure budgets: use article 49.3, which risks a motion of censure, or resort to ordonnances after parliamentary time limits expire, a move that would bypass ordinary votes.