“Let’s get out of the mirage of universal free access!”, demands Bruno Le Maire

The Minister of Economy and Finance, who fears a risk of France being downgraded in his new book (“The French Way”, Flammarion), believes that we must put an end to the welfare state. “We must replace the welfare state with the protective state,” insists Bruno Le Maire in the Sunday Journal. The welfare state ended up becoming a machine for piling on new public spending, without examining their relevance or effectiveness.” The tenant of Bercy, who is believed to have intentions for the 2027 presidential election, calls on France to “regain control of this system which has become out of control.” “Free everything, for everyone, all the time: it’s untenable! There is always someone who pays for free,” continues Bruno Le Maire.

On Europe, the minister is launching a “cry of alarm” to the 27 members of the European Union. “Let’s wake up!”, says Bruno Le Maire. Between an “increasingly interventionist” China and an “increasingly protectionist” United States, Europe must “accelerate together” to “implement a new European economic strategy”: economic sovereignty. A strategy for which Bruno Le Maire, who will appear before German employers next Tuesday in Berlin, hopes to convince Germany. “We expect from Germany a real commitment to this capital markets union,” adds the minister.

While taxes are coming in less well than expected, the government had to urgently develop its 10 billion savings plan. Insufficient for the Court of Auditors which considers that France must now “make considerable efforts” to save money.