Former National Rally leader Marine Le Pen told the Financial Times she would cap France’s net EU budget payment at €5 billion if elected in 2027, as Brussels negotiates its next seven-year spending plan.
Le Pen said her five-year program would seek €140 billion in deficit reductions. She projected €11 billion in savings for France in 2027 from lower EU payments. She said the cap would put France’s net payment near its early-2000s level.
The European Commission’s plan for 2028-34 would allocate nearly €2 trillion over seven years. The current 2021-27 budget is about €1.2 trillion. The Independent reported that Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden were seeking budget cuts totaling several hundred billion euros. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an “ambitious” budget, the outlet reported, amid a dispute between France and Germany over the long-term plan.
Le Pen objected to the timing of the Commission’s push for an agreement ahead of the French vote, calling it “deeply objectionable.” She said the budget dispute could become a “trial of strength” with Brussels and acknowledged that reducing France’s payments would be difficult. The Independent reported that the proposed cap could anger Brussels.
Le Pen identified France’s debt as her main constraint if elected, warning that it could become uncontrollable. She said she would keep her political convictions despite the country’s financial limits. The Independent described the April 2027 vote as her fourth presidential campaign.
The Independent reported that Brussels wants an agreement by Christmas, ahead of France’s presidential election.
