The French government will copy and paste the budget that led to the fall of its predecessor – POLITICO

However, the path forward remains elusive.

Bayrou lacks majority support in parliament and remains likely to be ousted if opposition parties join forces against him, as they did with Barnier.

For the government to survive the winter, Lombard and his deputy in charge of the budget, Amélie de Montchalin, contacted the opposition parties to explore avenues of compromise – or at least reach an agreement to avoid falling to both the government and the budget. in exchange for concessions.

The two men will seek to meet with all parties represented in Parliament before January 14, when Bayrou will deliver his first political speech to Parliament.

However, by renewing Barnier’s old budget, lawmakers will limit themselves to amending current legislation rather than introducing entire new articles, thus limiting the room for negotiation.

“They can change (the budget), but they can’t change it in depth… I don’t really see how they are going to propose (legislation) that is less likely to lead to a vote of no confidence,” the left said. » the head of Parliament’s finance committee, Eric Coquerel, told POLITICO.

There are also concerns that the government may not be able to pass Barnier’s planned windfall profits tax for large businesses and wealthy individuals, as it would mean enacting a law in 2025 to tax revenue generated in 2024. former prime minister had presented this decision as a way to help reduce the budget deficit without placing too heavy a burden on the majority of French taxpayers.