Overview

• Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told parliament he will freeze the 2023 pension overhaul until January 2028, pausing the rise in the retirement age to 64.
• He presented a 2026 draft budget targeting roughly €30 billion in savings to bring the deficit below 5 percent next year, with a stated aim of moving toward 4.7 percent.
• Leftist LFI and the far-right RN filed no-confidence motions set for a Thursday vote, and the Socialist Party’s roughly 70 votes remain decisive.
• Macron has indicated he would call new parliamentary elections if the government is toppled by a successful no-confidence vote.
• The fiscal plan rejects a proposed billionaire levy but introduces a tax on wealth-holding vehicles and includes a pledge to avoid using Article 49.3 to force the budget through.