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Trump's rollercoaster for Ukrainians: US to send Patriot missiles to Kyiv

Trump's rollercoaster for Ukrainians: US to send Patriot missiles to Kyiv

France 24a day ago
03:02
14/07/2025
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French PM proposes slashing two public holidays to reduce deficit
French PM proposes slashing two public holidays to reduce deficit

Euronews

timean hour ago

  • Euronews

French PM proposes slashing two public holidays to reduce deficit

France's Prime Minister François Bayrou has outlined plans to cut €43.8 billion from the national budget, warning that debt presents a "mortal danger" for the country. The cuts involve reducing the number of people employed in the civil service and a so-called "solidarity contribution" for "the wealthiest", as well as scrapping tax breaks for business expenses for pensioners. He also proposed getting rid of two public holidays, citing Easter Monday and 8 May as possible contenders to be scrapped. Bayrou said that would make it possible to increase productivity without raising taxes or VAT. May 8 has historical significance in France and across Europe as it marks the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945 and the end of World War II in Europe. "It's the last stop before the cliff, before we are crushed by the debt," Bayrou told MPs, saying that debt is increasing by €5,000 every second. "It's late but there is still time," he added. He said the French shouldn't forget the financial woes Greece experienced more than a decade ago when it went through a full-blown debt crisis and needed multiple international bailout packages and years of austerity to get back on its feet. France's public deficit hit 5.8% of GDP in 2024, totalling €168.6 billion, a figure well above the maximum allowed by EU rules. In his announcement, Bayrou outlined significant budget cuts with the aim of slashing tens of billions of euros, aiming to bring the deficit down to 5.4% of GDP this year and 4.6% in 2026. He is hoping the cuts will bring the deficit to below the 3% threshold set by the EU by 2029. President Emmanuel Macron has tasked his prime minister with repairing public finances with the 2026 budget after the snap election he called last year resulted in a hung parliament too divided to tackle spiralling spending. Following the recommendations of Macron and citing the situation in both Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region, Bayrou said no cuts would be made on national defence spending. €3.5 billion will be included in the 2026 budget, with a further €3 billion in 2027.

Renault names its British CFO interim CEO
Renault names its British CFO interim CEO

LeMonde

timean hour ago

  • LeMonde

Renault names its British CFO interim CEO

French carmaker Renault made its British chief financial officer Duncan Minto its interim CEO on Tuesday, July 15, as it works to find a successor to Luca de Meo, who stepped down to run the luxury group Kering. Minto, born in 1975 and educated in Scotland, has worked his entire career in Renault and was made CFO in March. He told a press conference that an appointment of a successor to de Meo "should not take very long." He also said the company was lowering its annual forecasts this year because of a "deterioration of trends in the automobile sector." Renault was revising its operating margin to around 6.5% of turnover, down from a minimum 7.0% given previously. Renault is partnered with struggling Japanese automaker Nissan, which it rescued in 1999. The companies did not merge but own shares in the other, in what has proved a rocky alliance. Renault early this month said it was booking a €9.5 billion ($11.2-billion) loss, while Nissan posted a net loss of $4.5 billion for the financial year to March. De Meo moving on to Kering De Meo, who ran Renault for the last five years, announced his departure last month, with his exit becoming effective on Tuesday. He is set to become the new chief executive of French luxury group Kering, the owner of Gucci, Yves Saint-Laurent, Balenciaga and other premium brands. De Meo is expected to take up the reins at Kering from September 15, subject to board and shareholder approval. Kering's current chief executive is Francois-Henri Pinault, son of the group's billionaire founder Francois Pinault. Francois-Henri Pinault is shaking up Kering's management and would stay on as chairman.

EU delays measures against Israel on Gaza despite pressure to act
EU delays measures against Israel on Gaza despite pressure to act

Euronews

timean hour ago

  • Euronews

EU delays measures against Israel on Gaza despite pressure to act

The EU will not 'punish' Israel for its actions in Gaza and will 'keep a close watch' on the country's implementation of a recent agreement to improve the flow of aid in the strip, the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said in a press conference following a meeting of the EU's 27 ministers in Brussels. The ministers were in Brussels to discuss an EU-Israel agreement brokered last week to increase the number of trucks and distribution of food entering Gaza as well as the opening of several other crossing points. They also examined an exhaustive list of 10 options, including the suspension of visa-free travel and the blocking of imports from the Jewish settlements, in response to Israel's breach of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. 'Israel needs to take more concrete steps to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground,' Kallas told reporters, adding that Israel had already improved access and supplies of aid to Gaza. "The EU will keep a close watch on how Israel implements this common understanding and the pledges." 'The aim is not to punish Israel, the aim is to improve the situation in Gaza,' Kallas added. The bloc's ambassadors will be tasked to update Israel's compliance of the agreement every two weeks, Kallas said, and the EU would keep the 10 options 'on the table' and 'stand ready to act if Israel does not live up to its pledges'. Last week, the Israeli military admitted a "technical error" following a strike that reportedly killed 10 people, including six children, near a Gaza water distribution point. Some ministers expressed frustration at the lack of action against Israel. Following Tuesday's meeting, Slovenian foreign minister Tanja Fajon wrote on X that she regretted there hadn't been 'any consensus' during the meeting to follow up on the review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. She added that an "agreement in principle" on improving humanitarian aid 'can't be used as an excuse to inaction'. 'We all have a responsibility to protect civilians,' she added. Prior to the meeting on Tuesday, some ministers had also sent clear signs that they wanted to take concrete measures against Israel. Spain's foreign affairs minister José Manuel Albares told reporters that in accordance with EU and international norms, his country would push for a suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, an arms embargo to Israel and the ban of products from the Jewish settlements. 'This war needs to end, and the Israeli army needs to withdraw,' Albares said. His French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot also said France would be ready to take sanctions targeted at 'individuals and entities that are responsible for the extremist and violent colonisation' in the West Bank and to 'stop any direct and indirect financial support to the colonisation'.

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