French Finance Chief Dismisses Crisis and Affirms Debt Plans

French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said financial-market stress will ease as the country is able to remain on track with debt-reduction plans, despite the prospect of government collapse early next month.

Lombard, speaking Thursday at the Medef business lobby’s annual conference, said he’s confident of meeting this year’s budget-deficit target of 5.4% of economic output as tax receipts are coming in as expected and spending is under control.