“This geopolitics has settled into the reservoir of the French. And in one form or another, it will last. We must not lie”: the Prime Minister began to prepare the opinion on Tuesday during the questions to the government session in the Assembly. He will be more concrete on Thursday at 5 p.m. during his first major press conference since he was at Matignon. The head of government must announce measures to come to the aid of economic sectors which are suffering from the surge in fuel costs since the start of the war in the Middle East at the end of February.
The press conference is therefore eagerly awaited, particularly by the agriculture, fishing and construction sectors. It will follow a meeting bringing together the main ministers concerned, in particular Roland Lescure (Economy) and Serge Papin (PME). Sébastien Lecornu promised not to abandon anyone but the country’s finances are constrained. In addition, the activity of the armed forces in external operations in the area also has a cost for the French budget.
The financing puzzle
How can we finance the aid that will be announced? In mid-April, the government planned to freeze six billion credits on state spending and the social sphere. On Tuesday, Sébastien Lecornu suggested that this would not be enough. Since the start of the crisis, the government has favored targeted aid and refused tax cuts for everyone. A political and budgetary choice that Sébastien Lecornu will also have to defend.
/2026/05/20/6a0d9c10601cf516372157.jpg "Left Lebanon at 12, youngest qualifier, 1447th worldwide… Frenchman Daniel Jade wins over the crowd at Roland")
