French Premier Says Country on Cliff Edge as Debt Soars

France is on the cliff edge as its debt continues to balloon, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Tuesday as he set out plans to sharply narrow the budget deficit next year.

“We have a duty to take responsibility, we’re at the last stop before the cliff,” the premier said Tuesday at a press conference in Paris to outline his fiscal strategy. “We have become addicted to public spending.”