The new budget includes a $7.6 million increase in military spending and aims to cut the deficit to 5% by the end of 2026.

France passed its 2026 budget after two failed no-confidence motions, allowing legislation to pass and potentially heralding a period of relative stability for Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s weak minority government.

The budget, passed on Monday after four months of political deadlock over government spending, includes measures to reduce France’s deficit and increase military spending.

“France finally has a budget,” Le Cornou said in a post on

The motion put forward by France’s Insurgent Party, the Greens and other left-wing groups received 260 of the 289 votes needed to overthrow the government. The far-right motion received only 135 votes.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s snap election in 2024 has led to a hung parliament, while huge holes in public finances have made austerity more urgent, with budget negotiations consuming France’s political class for nearly two years.

Budget talks cost two prime ministers their jobs, rattled debt markets and alarmed France’s European partners.

However, Le Cornu, whose chaotic two-stage nomination in October drew ridicule around the world, managed to gain support from Socialist lawmakers through costly but targeted concessions.

reduce deficit

France faces pressure from the EU to rein in its debt-to-GDP ratio – the third-highest in the bloc after Greece and Italy – which is nearly double the bloc’s 60% cap.

The bill aims to cut France’s deficit as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) from 5.4% in 2025 to 5% in 2026, after the government retreated from its previous target of 4.7%.

The budget includes higher taxes on some businesses that are expected to bring in about 7.3 billion euros ($8.6 billion) in revenue by 2026, although the Socialists failed to gain support for a wealth tax proposal for the super-rich.

It also increased military spending by 6.5 billion euros ($7.7 million), a move the prime minister last week called the “centerpiece” of the budget.

However, the Socialists did win several popular measures, including a one-euro meal fee for students and an increase in extra subsidies for low-income workers.