Macron bypasses parliament to sign 2026 budget into law

French President Emmanuel Macron has signed the 2026 state budget into law, bypassing parliamentary approval.

The delayed legislation was confirmed in the official government gazette, Journal officiel.

The budget had previously been submitted to France’s Constitutional Council, which ruled it compliant with the constitution.

On January 30, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the government would adopt the budget without a parliamentary vote, taking full responsibility. This followed a Senate vote the previous day rejecting the proposed plan.

The 2026 budget includes cuts across most sectors, except for defence, where spending is set to rise by €6.7 billion.

Last year, France’s budget deficit reached 5.4% of GDP, undermining creditor confidence.

While authorities initially aimed to reduce the deficit to 4.7% this year, opposition amendments have pushed the projected shortfall to around 5%.

By Aghakazim Guliyev