BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union finance ministers will approve French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s deficit-cutting plan on Tuesday as it complies with the EU’s recommendations to bring the French deficit below 3% of GDP by 2029, officials said.
Senior officials of EU governments agreed last week to support Bayrou’s plan, which will replace a more front-loaded scheme designed by his predecessor Michel Barnier that was rejected by the French Parliament in December.
“We are determined to reach the 3% deficit target by 2029, to be below by 2029,” French Finance Minister Eric Lombard told reporters as he entered talks in Brussels.
The updated plan aims to cut France’s budget deficit to 5.4% of GDP this year from