France Has a Budget, But Few Are Happy About It
Stability at all costs has come with a price, as all necessary reforms have been kicked down the road.
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Big news this week for France: Its fractious parliament has finally approved a budget for 2026. (Yes, that’s right, the year that began more than a month ago.) As has become the norm for the centrist coalition of convenience buttressing Emmanuel Macron’s administration, it’s a mishmash of compromises leaving nobody satisfied – even if it does just about enough to stave off a snap-election risk that would embolden political extremes.