French Prime Minister François Bayrou is turning to YouTube to defend deep budget cuts aimed at bringing the country’s soaring debt under control. He says France is running out of time to fix its finances and wants the public to understand what’s at stake.
To make his case, Bayrou has launched a weekly YouTube show. The series, called FB Direct, opened with an eight-minute video in which the 74-year-old addressed the camera in a white shirt and black tie.
During the episode, Bayrou covered the challenges of the 2026 budget and the dangers of shying away from action.
“The 2026 budget is the last chance to control the debt before it becomes unmanageable,” Bayrou said.
“We need to make the efforts from right now. We cannot push it off until tomorrow,” he added.
The monologues to the nation are expected to continue until early September. They aim to explain not just the debt problem, but also other government reforms Bayrou wants to introduce.
On 15 July, Bayrou presented the 2026 budget to parliament.
Measures in 2026 budget
Among the most controversial proposals is the removal of two public holidays. Bayrou named Easter Monday and 8 May – which marks the end of World War II in Europe – as possible candidates.
He said May was “riddled” with holidays and that cutting two of them could bring in several billion euros. He added that he was open to other ideas.
France’s public deficit reached 5.8 percent of GDP in 2024. Its public debt climbed to almost 114 percent – the third-highest in the eurozone, behind Greece and Italy.
“I am trying to look at you directly in the eyes,” Bayrou said during the first episode of FB Direct. “This all depends on each and everyone of you.”
Bayrou leads a minority government and may struggle to get his proposals through parliament. Leaders from across the political spectrum have said they are unlikely to support them.
Cut debt while boosting production
Bayrou wants to reduce debt while growing the economy. But even as spending is frozen in most areas, defence funding will increase by €6.7 billion in 2026, due to rising international tensions.
His goal is to bring the deficit down to 2.9 percent of GDP by 2029. To get there, he says France must not spend more in 2026 than it did in 2025.
“Through FB Direct, the Prime Minister wishes to demonstrate his willingness to communicate directly with the French people to explain his choices and approach,” said a government spokesperson.
But political journalist François Beaudonnet said Bayrou’s message was repetitive.
“He provides no new information, and merely elaborates on France's financial situation, dramatising it even further, as he had already done at length in his speech on 15 July,” Beaudonnet said on FranceInfo.
Statistics showed that 44,000 people watched the first video. Almost 4,000 left comments.
“‘Great initiative, François, really,” wrote one viewer. “We needed a podcast so that a guy who's been sitting in power since 1993 could explain to us why it's still up to us to 'make an effort.’”
Bayrou has promised to start responding to viewer questions and ideas next week.
“This call for dialogue is intended to be transparent, constructive, and respectful of everyone's sensibilities,” the government spokesperson said.
“The objective is to involve the French people in the search for realistic and sustainable solutions.”
