FRENCH PM F. BAYROU CONFRONT FRANCE’S FISCAL CRISIS IN STARK PRESS CONFERENCE

USPA NEWS - Prime Minister François Bayrou’s key announcement was a confidence vote on the budget, delivered through a general policy speech. The French Prime Minister, Bayrou confirmed that he had asked President Emmanuel Macron to convene Parliament in an extraordinary session on September 8. If he fails to secure confidence, his government will have to resign.
“I have asked the President of the Republic to convene Parliament in an extraordinary session on September 8, by triggering Article 49.1 of the Constitution. On that day, I will commit the government’s responsibility through a declaration of general policy. Each political actor will be confronted with their responsibilities,” Francois Bayrou declared.
He added: “This confidence vote will enshrine the effort to reduce France’s public deficit by nearly €44 billion. Only then will the discussion on each of the measures of this emergency plan take place. If you have a majority, the government is confirmed. If you do not, the government falls.”

FRENCH PM F. BAYROU WARNS OF SEVERE FISCAL CRISIS SETS CONFIDENCE VOTE
French Prime Minister François Bayrou held a press conference at Segur on August 25, 2025, focusing primarily on the 2026 budget and the urgent need to rebalance public finances.
Bayrou opened with a stark statement: “France is not doing well.” Addressing a hundred accredited national journalists gathered at the Ministry of Health and Solidarity in Paris, he painted a bleak picture of the country’s current state. The Prime Minister delivered a series of alarming observations, contrasting France’s world-class achievements, in agri-food, gastronomy, wine, culture, cutting-edge technology, industry, defense, quantum physics, algorithms, and human development, with its paradoxical decline and systemic dysfunctions.
He also turned to Europe’s broader struggles, evoking the weight of a bloc representing 450 million citizens yet, in his words, one that “is also not doing well.” Quoting former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, PM Bayrou recalled his summer statement: “The dream of a Europe that matters in the world has vanished.”

FRENCH PM BAYROU ANNONCES SEPTEMBER 8 CONFIDENCE VOTE IN PARLIAMENT RISKING THE FALL OF GOVERNMENT
Prime Minister François Bayrou’s key announcement was a confidence vote on the budget, delivered through a general policy speech. The French Prime Minister, Bayrou confirmed that he had asked President Emmanuel Macron to convene Parliament in an extraordinary session on September 8. If he fails to secure confidence, his government will have to resign. It is either super brave (or the opposite).
“I have asked the President of the Republic to convene Parliament in an extraordinary session on September 8, by triggering Article 49.1 of the Constitution. On that day, I will commit the government’s responsibility through a declaration of general policy. Each political actor will be confronted with their responsibilities,” Francois Bayrou declared.
He added: “This confidence vote will enshrine the effort to reduce France’s public deficit by nearly €44 billion. Only then will the discussion on each of the measures of this emergency plan take place. If you have a majority, the government is confirmed. If you do not, the government falls.”

NATIONAL URGENCY FOR COLLECTIVE EFFORT AND RESPONSIBILITY TO AVOID CHAOS
On deficit reduction, the Prime Minister plans to orchestrate a national effort to cut public spending by €44 billion, while opening the door to discussions on specific measures, including the possible elimination of public holidays. “Is there or isn’t there a national urgency to rebalance our public accounts and, while it’s still possible, avoid the curse of over-indebtedness?” he asked the audience during his speech.
Over the course of his more than one-hour address, the Prime Minister stressed the need to clarify public debate around fiscal discipline and urged everyone to take responsibility given the seriousness of the stakes for France. He appealed to the responsibility of all French citizens: “Everyone will contribute. The state, and the wealthiest, will be called upon to take their fair share of the national effort.”

“EVERYONE WILL CONTRIBUTE, THE STATE AND THE WEALTHIEST WILL BE CALLED UPON TO TAKE THEIR FAIR SHARE IN REDUCING PUBLIC DEBT,” DECLARES PM BAYROU
“Everyone will contribute. The state, and the wealthiest, will be called upon to take their fair share of the national effort,” Prime Minister Bayrou stated.
According to him, “all social classes will be involved” in the effort to tackle France’s ever-growing public debt. PM Bayrou promises that the burden will fall on everyone, including the state and the wealthiest, mentioning adjustments to certain subsidies, simplifications, and an open debate on reforming the electoral system.

“The effort will weigh on all,” he reiterated, “including the state and the wealthiest, with potential adjustments to some subsidies, simplifications, and an open discussion on electoral reform. Everyone must know that everyone will participate. Choosing to do nothing is a condemnation. This is serious.”
He added, “I want this mobilization to be fair: it must involve all sectors, families, businesses, farmers, all social categories; everyone must take responsibility and not shy away from the consequences of our financial situation.”
On the proposal to eliminate public holidays, the Prime Minister stressed that it is “not final and can be adjusted and amended.” “The question is whether we agree on framing this issue. After that, the measures themselves are considered. They are never imposed,” insisted Prime Minister François Bayrou.

PRIME MINISTER PROPOSED A STRATEGY BY SEEKING A CONFIDENCE VOTE
Two days before September 10, anticipating the “Block Everything” movement, Prime Minister Bayrou declared: “French citizens have the right to protest, but we have the duty to move forward. France is not those who seek to bring it down through disorder; it is those who wish to build it through courage and generosity.”
“Into this debate has grown a radical protest movement, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon and LFI, which, by their own words, aims to block everything and call a general strike. I have condemned this strategy of disorder,” he added.

“THE CHOICE IS YOURS: CHAOS OR RESPONSIBILITY,” PM BAYROU DECLARED
The Prime Minister stressed the urgency and vital need for clarification on public debt:
“This moment demands clarity. France cannot ignore this danger; it cannot do nothing. The country is heading for disaster if it does not take courageous, yet still possible and manageable, decisions which we are debating.”
He continued by placing responsibility on the audience and using journalists as witnesses to raise public awareness: “The greatest risk is doing nothing. The choice is yours: chaos or responsibility.”
Bayrou also justified his decision to take the risk of potentially bringing down his own government by submitting his forthcoming general policy speech very democratically to the French Parliament. The President of the Republic will then have the choice to either appoint a new Prime Minister and form a “crisis” government, dissolve the National Assembly for a second time (the first dissolution occurred in June 2024), or resign.
“If the path we choose is to pretend, I tell you honestly, we will not succeed,” he declared, clear-eyed and far from optimistic..../

Shifting to public debt, the Prime Minister described it as “bad debt,” (€3,300 billion) noting that for twenty years the State’s spending habits have persisted despite repeated warnings. “France’s dependence on debt has become chronic,” Bayrou declared. “Hundreds of billions have been borrowed not to invest, but to cover current expenditures. This moment requires a clarification.” He called for a serious public debate on budgetary discipline, urging all political actors to assume their responsibilities in light of the gravity of the nation’s challenges. The PM went on to announce that he would invoke Article 49.1 of the Constitution to put his government’s responsibility before the National Assembly on September 8, in the form of a confidence vote. Opposition parties including LFI (La France Insoumise, J.L Melenchon’s Party, Far Left) RN (Marine le Pen’s National Rally, Far Right), and the Greens have already stated they will not support the government, raising the possibility of its collapse. He denounced calls for nationwide disruption, such as the planned “Shut Everything Down on September 10” initiative backed by the leftist. Reported by Rahma Sophia Rachdi,our handyjournalist