Overview

• The two-day Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France began with Prime Minister François Bayrou set to seek a confidence vote on 8 September that he currently appears likely to lose.
• Medef president Patrick Martin said uncertainty is not good for the economy and issued an appeal for political responsibility, noting the group represents 240,000 companies employing 12 million people.
• Finance chief Eric Lombard and public accounts minister Amélie de Montchalin said they will still work to produce a 2026 budget through negotiations with opposition forces, with the Socialist Party again viewed as the decisive pivot.
• Business leaders highlight a 2024 public deficit of 5.8% of GDP and back the government's €44 billion deficit-reduction effort, while noting firms are contributing about €13 billion this year including a temporary corporate tax increase.
• The program features ministerial interventions, a Thursday address by Bayrou, and a closing debate of major party leaders, as Martin cautions that sharply higher taxes on the wealthy could prompt capital and talent flight.