Overview

• The government’s 2026 budget framework aims to secure €43.8 billion in deficit reduction through frozen social benefits, capped tax brackets and an overall spending freeze.
• Bayrou plans to cut 3,000 civil service positions next year and suspend replacement of one in three retirees to curb public payroll costs.
• The proposal includes scrapping Easter Monday and ory in EuroEurope Day on May 8, which is projected to yield several billion euros in additional revenue.
• Defence spending is exempt from austerity measures, with a planned increase of around €6.7 billion to address security threats.
• Unions and parties across the political spectrum have denounced the plan, and a no-confidence vote looms when the detailed budget bill reaches parliament this autumn.