Government · Paris
French PM Lecornu orders ministers to revise 'unrealistic' €30bn budget requests for 2027
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has told French ministers to take back control of their administrations' spending demands after budget conferences revealed more than €30 billion in funding requests, including €24 billion for new expenditures.
AI text based on reports by 20minutes, Le Parisien, SudOuest.fr and other publishers. Published . How it is made
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In brief
Budget conferences revealed more than €30 billion in funding demands from ministries for 2027, including €24 billion in new spending.
The requests would create over 23,000 state jobs in 2027 and approximately 40,000 over the 2027–2029 period.
The prime minister described the demands as not prioritised and unrealistic, urging ministers to identify real political priorities.
The government has committed to presenting a budget without raising taxes, tightening the constraints on spending.
The government will present the broad lines of the 2027 budget in mid-July, with a public finance alert committee meeting in late June.
- 10 JunLecornu sends framework letter to ministers, launches three-week bilateral discussions with Public Accounts Minister David Amiel
- 30 JunPublic finance alert committee scheduled; could announce new budget cuts
- 15 JulGovernment to present broad outlines of the 2027 budget
The scale of the requests
Budget conferences ahead of the 2027 finance bill revealed more than €30 billion in funding requests from ministries, with €24 billion earmarked for new spending. The demands would create over 23,000 jobs for the state and its operators as early as next year, rising to approximately 40,000 over the 2027–2029 period.
“In the context of preparing the 2027 finance bill, budget conferences revealed more than 30 billion euros in funding requests, including 24 billion for new spending.”
The prime minister's response
In a letter titled 'Framework letter for the preparation of the 2027 finance bill', sent to ministers mid-week and obtained by Les Echos, Lecornu described the requests as 'clearly not prioritised' and 'unrealistic'. He added that they 'disregard the urgency of restoring public finances', which he called 'a determining element of our sovereignty, especially in the current geopolitical and macroeconomic context'.
“I therefore ask you to take back control of the requests made by your administrations and correct them. Your discussions with the Minister of Public Action and Accounts will make it possible to identify real political priorities, but also productivity gains and transformations.”
Fiscal constraints
The government has promised to table a budget without tax increases. Lecornu stressed the need for seriousness, underlining his message with handwritten exclamation marks and double-underlined words on the letter, according to Les Echos. The letter launched a three-week cycle of bilateral discussions between Public Accounts Minister David Amiel and his colleagues.
Next steps
The government is due to present the broad outlines of the 2027 budget in mid-July. Before that, a public finance alert committee is scheduled for late June, which could be the occasion to announce new budget cuts. The war in the Middle East continues to weigh on the economic situation, adding pressure to the fiscal consolidation effort.
Lecornu told ministers he would make his final arbitrations based on the revised work they submit. 'We must be serious,' he insisted, adding 'I am counting on you.'
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Sources and context
- 20minutesLecornu demande aux ministères de revoir leurs demandes de financement pour 2027
- Le ParisienBudget 2027 : Sébastien Lecornu demande à ses ministres de " corriger " les demandes des services
- SudOuest.frBudget 2027 : Lecornu demande à ses ministres de " corriger " les demandes de leurs administrations
- Le Figaro.frBudget 2027 : Lecornu somme ses ministres de revoir leurs demandes "irréalistes"
- Sébastien Lecornu
- Prime Minister of France, author of the framework letter demanding ministers revise their 2027 budget requests
- David Amiel
- French Minister of Public Action and Accounts, leading three-week bilateral budget discussions with ministerial colleagues
- Places
- Paris
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