France secures €1.6 bln cut in planned EU budget contribution
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France secures €1.6 bln cut in planned EU budget contribution
PARIS – France has secured a €1.6 billion reduction in its planned EU budget contribution for 2026, lowering the expected payment to €27.6 billion, according to L'Opinion .
Sources close to Budget Minister Amélie de Montchalin indicated that France's total payment to Brussels would be lowered from the €29.2 billion initially projected.
If confirmed, the move would offer relief to Prime Minister François Bayrou, just a day after he unveiled his sweeping austerity plan aimed at achieving nearly €44 billion in savings next year.
It also undercuts far-right Rassemblement National's (RN) core demand to slash France's contributions to the EU.
RN leader Marine Le Pen said in a post on X that the French had 'massively' endorsed freezing France's contributions to the EU by 'by backing Jordan Bardella's list in the European elections', referring to her party colleague's strong performance in last year's elections.
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