The Minister of Economy says he is willing to make “concessions”, especially in electrical matters, to avoid a “storm”

Pressure is increasing on Barnier’s government, threatened with censure in the National Assembly in the coming days, in a context of stalled budget debates. In this context, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Antoine Armand, said on Thursday, November 28, that he was willing to do “concessions” on the budget texts, to avoid ” storm “ economic and financial that according to him would result in the fall of the government without a budget.

“Whatever the differences in values ​​we have, today we face a very serious situation for the country. The Prime Minister spoke of a “storm”. It is not a word chosen at random, it is a word that has financial, economic and budgetary resonance, and we are obviously willing to make concessions to avoid this storm.declared Armand to BFM-TV and RMC, two days after Prime Minister Michel Barnier sounded the alarm on the program “8 pm

The minister referred in particular to the electricity tax, the increase of which is planned in the Government’s draft budget. “inadmissible” by the National Assembly (RN). The RN deputies can decide the vote on a motion of censure, with their contingent of 140 deputies (including their sixteen allies from Eric Ciotti’s group)

Pressure from the RN capable of overthrowing the government

The far-right party is therefore increasing pressure on Barnier’s government. Marine Le Pen asked in particular this week “Clear and firm commitments to abandon the 3,000 million euro increase in the price of electricity [au budget de l’Etat], the abandonment of the exclusion of new medicines and the deindexation of pensions”, otherwise he threatens to overthrow the government.

On Thursday, Antoine Armand warned all groups tempted by the vote of a motion of no confidence, while the left-wing parties allied in the New Popular Front (NFP) – PS, LFI, PCF and Ecologists – promised to present one as soon as the Prime Minister makes use of article 49.3 of the Constitution to allow the approval of the State and/or Social Security Budgets in the Chamber.

“What I say to the political parties that have nothing in common, all on the right or all on the left of the chamber, is [que] It is not that we do not have an agreement with a government that weakens our country. It is not because we do not agree with a policy that we put a country in the red. It is not because we do not agree with a Prime Minister and a government that we are plunging the country into budgetary and financial unknowns.”launched Mr. Armand.

Like the rest of the Government, the Macronist minister put pressure on the sixty-six deputies of the socialist group, asking for their responsibility, while the latter could allow the Barnier Government to remain in power if they abstained during the vote. The latter, however, stood in solidarity with the rest of the NFP, declaring in a group meeting that they would vote in favor of censure to prevent the adoption of a budget to which they oppose.

If Barnier’s government falls without a budget having been voted, “We run the risk of stalling like a plane that is at altitude and that at any moment runs the risk of losing control. However, there is a way: this way is this budget”the Minister of Economy warned once again, although he acknowledged that there is room for improvement. In contrast, “There is the path to the unknown, there is the path to degradation, there is the path to the dislocation of the country, there is the path to jump into the budgetary, economic and financial unknown”the minister continued, on the eve of the rating agency S&P’s decision on France’s debt.