France Passes 2026 Budget After Surviving No-Confidence Votes
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu bypassed parliamentary deadlock using constitutional powers to pass the 2026 budget and secure military spending increases.
France adopted its 2026 state budget on February 2, 2026, ending a four-month political standoff in a hung parliament. To secure the bill, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu invoked Article 49.3 of the Constitution three times, forcing the budget's passage without a direct parliamentary vote. Lecornu survived two subsequent no-confidence motions in the National Assembly; one filed by left-wing groups received 260 votes, while a motion from the far-right National Rally received 135 votes. Neither reached the 289-vote threshold required to oust the government.
The budget targets a reduction of the national deficit to 5% of GDP, down from 5.4% in 2025, through spending cuts and new taxes on large company profits. It allocates an additional 6.7 billion euros to the Ministry of Defense to fund a new nuclear-powered attack submarine, 362 armored vehicles, and Aster surface-to-air missiles to counter threats from Russia, terrorism, and cyberattacks.
To avoid government collapse, Lecornu granted critical concessions to the Socialist Party, including the suspension of pension reforms that would have raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 until after the 2027 presidential election. While the budget provides temporary stability, critics and party leaders suggest the struggle signals the end of President Emmanuel Macron's domestic political influence, prompting a shift in his focus toward foreign policy.
