French Prime Minister François Bayrou has raised the possibility of holding a national referendum on a comprehensive plan to reduce France’s debt and bring the public deficit below 3 percent of GDP, a threshold set by European fiscal rules.
In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche published Saturday, Bayrou said the gravity of the issue and its consequences for the nation’s future warranted a direct consultation with citizens.
“I believe the question is serious enough, with far-reaching consequences for the country’s future, that it should be put directly to the people. I do not rule out any possibility,” he said.
Bayrou emphasized that the plan would require efforts from everyone and could only succeed with broad public support.
“It’s a comprehensive plan I want to submit. It will demand efforts from everybody, and given its scale, it cannot succeed unless the French people support it. Without that approval, it will not hold,” he said.
President decides
Under France’s constitution, only the president can call a referendum, but Bayrou said the government could propose the idea.
“The government proposes, the president decides. But the key issue is whether the French support the reforms,” he noted.
Bayrou criticised the piecemeal approach to previous budgets, likening it to “removing a leaf here, adding one there,” and called for a clear, unified strategy.
He reaffirmed the government’s target of reducing the deficit below 3 percent, after it ballooned to around 7 percent under President Emmanuel Macron.
The proposal comes as the government seeks €40 billion in savings for the 2026 budget, primarily through spending cuts. Bayrou insisted the solution does not lie in new taxes, but in greater efficiency and simplification of public spending.
The Élysée Palace has not commented on the proposal, which remains at the discussion stage. President Macron had previously mentioned the possibility of referendums on major issues in his New Year’s address, but no specific topics have yet been announced.
France braces for economic judgment amid political turmoil and record debt
(With newswires)
