- 2d ago
Former French Prime Minister Édouard Balladur dies in Paris at 97
Édouard Balladur, who served as French prime minister from 1993 to 1995 during a period of cohabitation under President François Mitterrand, died in Paris on 31 August 2026.
- 4d ago
Sébastien Lecornu rules out 2027 presidential run and outlines interim budget plan
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed he will not run in the 2027 presidential election, urging candidates not to obstruct government action as he prepares a reversible budget for early 2027.
- 4d ago
Fitch maintains France sovereign rating at A+ as deficit forecasts rise
Fitch Ratings affirmed France's credit rating at A+ with a stable outlook on 28 August 2026, while raising its public deficit projections to 5.2% in 2026 and 5.5% in 2027 ahead of autumn budget debates.
- 5d ago
Olivier Faure enters French left-wing primary for 2027 presidential race
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure announced his candidacy to lawmakers following the Blois summer conference, setting up a contest against frontrunner Raphaël Glucksmann in an autumn primary.
- 5d ago
France to index minimum welfare benefits while weighing limits on pension growth in 2027 budget
Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou confirmed that RSA and Aspa benefits will track inflation in 2027, while urging retirees to accept shared fiscal restraint across the 400 billion euro pension system.
- 5d ago
France avoids technical recession as GDP stagnates at 0.0% in second quarter
Insee revised French gross domestic product to 0.0% for the second quarter of 2026, following a 0.2% drop in the first quarter, as heatwaves damaged farm output.
- Aug 24
French Prime Minister Lecornu to convene ministerial seminar on 31 August over budget and cyber threats
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will gather his cabinet on 31 August 2026 to address fiscal pressures, government cyberattacks, and summer wildfire damage.
- Aug 24
France to enforce mobile phone ban in high schools for September term
French President Emmanuel Macron will promulgate legislation banning mobile phones in lycees ahead of the September 2026 term, after the Constitutional Council approved the measure while striking down an under-15 social media ban.
- Aug 23
Mélenchon proposes ecological conscription and eco-regions at LFI summer school
Jean-Luc Mélenchon closed his party's summer gathering in Châteauneuf-sur-Isère with proposals to reorganize France into river-basin eco-regions and establish mandatory civil defense conscription.
- Aug 23
Sébastien Lecornu urges French parliament to adopt 2027 budget and warns against delays
In a 14-page letter to lawmakers, Sébastien Lecornu warned that postponing fiscal decisions until the 2027 presidential election risks debt turmoil, promising extended negotiations to reach compromise.
- Aug 16
Lecornu pledges €100 million wildfire relief package in Gironde visit met with public anger
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited Le Porge on Monday to announce emergency funding and tax relief for fire-hit southwestern regions, facing hostile crowds and political questions over emergency resources.
- Aug 16
French PM Lecornu promises new agriculture support measures in 2027 budget
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised new support and investment measures for agriculture in the 2027 budget, in an open letter published a day after the Constitutional Council validated the bulk of the agricultural emergency law.
- Aug 14
France's Constitutional Council approves assisted dying law with three reservations
France's Constitutional Council on 14 August 2026 upheld the assisted dying law adopted by parliament on 15 July, clearing the way for promulgation with three interpretation reservations.
- Aug 14
15-year-old charged after Mérignac fire killed two firefighters near Bordeaux
A 15-year-old boy was charged on 13 August with starting the fire that killed two firefighters near Bordeaux-Mérignac airport on 21 July, and placed in a closed educational center.
- Aug 14
Landes wildfire declared fixed as 250 evacuees cleared to return home
A wildfire that burned 1,700 hectares of pine forest in France's Landes since Thursday has been declared fixed, with 250 residents of Luglon cleared to return home on Monday morning.
- Aug 8
France extends €100 fuel indemnity deadline for heavy commuters to 31 August amid Middle East price pressures
France has extended the application deadline for the €100 fuel indemnity aimed at low-income heavy commuters from 30 July to 31 August 2026, as pump prices remain elevated amid renewed Middle East tensions.
- Aug 4
Paris prosecutor opens inquiry into workplace bullying after two suicides and two attempts in French PM's services
A preliminary inquiry has been opened after a civil servant attempted suicide, amid allegations of institutional bullying in departments under the French prime minister.
- Aug 3
France lowers foreign investment threshold to 10% for listed companies in sensitive sectors, including those quoted abroad
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu issued a decree lowering the threshold for non-European acquisitions in listed French companies in sensitive sectors from 25% to 10%, and extending the rule to firms listed outside the EU.
- Jul 26
France marks decade since Father Hamel's murder at altar with call for peace and fraternity
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu leads a memorial mass and speeches in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, joined by François Hollande and other officials, as the town reaffirms a message of peace.
- Jul 26
France orders 55,000 more residents to flee as wildfire engulfs 100,000 hectares near Bordeaux
The prefecture of Gironde ordered an additional 55,000 residents to evacuate overnight, bringing the total displaced in the region to at least 222,000 as the blaze creates its own wind system.
