The French economy is showing signs of resilience, thanks to a continued decline in inflation and positive growth figures. INSEE’s provisional figures for April show a further slowdown in inflation to 2.2% over one year, down from 2.3% in March and significantly lower than the 5.9% recorded in April 2023. This decline can be attributed to slowing food prices, a slight decrease in manufactured products prices, and an increase in energy prices.
Despite price increases having impacted household purchasing power in the first quarter, the French GDP saw an increase of 0.2%, driven by household consumption and business investments. This growth exceeded earlier expectations of zero growth, signaling the resilience of the country’s economy. Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire applauded the growth figures, citing them as evidence of the success of the government’s economic strategy.
However, challenges persist in the French economy. The deficit increased to 5.5% of GDP in 2023, exceeding the targeted 4.9%. Efforts to reduce the deficit and bring it below 3% of GDP by 2027 are met with skepticism. While rating agencies have maintained their confidence in France’s debt repayment capacity, doubts linger about the government’s ability to meet its targets. Plans to implement cost-saving measures could potentially disrupt growth momentum and affect annual growth by up to 0
