France Maintains Deficit Target Amid Middle East Uncertainty

France's Budget Minister, David Amiel, stated that despite a larger-than-expected reduction in the deficit last year, it is too early to lower the deficit target. According to Jin10, Amiel addressed the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, noting that the deficit decreased from 5.8% in 2024 to 5.1% in 2025, partly due to one-time factors. He highlighted significant uncertainty regarding the macroeconomic impact of the ongoing conflict involving Iran in 2026. Amiel expressed a desire to achieve better results than the 5% target outlined in budget documents, provided economic conditions allow. However, given the current uncertainty in the Middle East, the target remains unchanged. French ministers plan to update economic and fiscal forecasts when submitting the fiscal plan to the EU on April 21. Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, speaking alongside Amiel, emphasized that it is too early to determine how the rapidly evolving conflict will affect economic activity.