The Prime Minister of France, Sébastien Lecornu, stated during a live address that after Parliament blocks the consideration of the budget for next year, he will approach the National Assembly and the Senate with separate legislative initiatives on external security and defense.
He announced this in a live broadcast.
Government stance on the defense budget
«We will begin with issues of external security, military matters, and defense, on which I will address the National Assembly and the Senate with a proposal for a vote, probably next week. This will give political forces the opportunity to vote and say whether they want to move toward strengthening our armed forces»
The government proposes to allocate over 6.7 billion euros to national security next year.
«If the budget is not approved, then defense, the army, our collective security, and the defense industry will become, to some extent, among the first victims of the failure of our discussions»
He also condemned the “cynicism” of some political parties that hinder the budget’s passage.
«Some presidential candidates believe that compromise is incompatible with their own electoral strategy»
Last week the National Assembly rejected the 2026 budget proposal, and on Monday the Senate was forced to return to the initial version and begin examining the document again.
If lawmakers do not agree, the government may pass a temporary law that will extend the 2025 budget and allow tax collection.
A temporary law will not allow increasing funding for specific sectors, which will prove particularly sensitive for the defense budget.
Earlier, Sébastien Lecornu proposed suspending the pension reform until the presidential elections, announced the introduction of an “exceptional” tax for the wealthiest, and rejection of applying a constitutional amendment that allows the government to make decisions without an absolute majority of votes.
In sum, the government continues to focus on the defense-oriented budget line and foreign-policy initiatives, emphasizing security and funding for defense despite the chaos in Parliament.
