Overview

• An Institut économique Molinari and EY study places France’s fiscal liberation day on July 18, the latest date among EU countries and well after the June 11 European average
• Supporters of the “Nicolas qui paie” movement have been plastering posters and stickers nationwide through July 20 using a distributed kit that urges respect for private property
• The satirical, transpartisan campaign channels young, educated workers’ frustration and promotes a minarchist vision of deep spending cuts and tighter immigration controls
• Figures on the right, including Marion Maréchal, have echoed the movement’s slogan to pressure Prime Minister François Bayrou over his proposed budget reforms
• Bayrou’s 2026 austerity plan calls for €43.8 billion in savings through spending freezes, public service cuts and new levies, measures critics say will postpone rather than solve France’s fiscal woes