The situation and prospects of public finances

On 29 June 2016, the Court of Auditors published its annual report on the situation and prospects of public finances. In 2015, the general government deficit narrowed by 0.4 percentage points of GDP but remains high, to 3.6 % of GDP and the public finances situation in France is worse than that of many European countries. For 2016, the government deficit forecast (3.3 %) is achievable, despite strong pressures on government spending. This modest reduction will still not reduce the debt burden in GDP. The deficit targets for 2017-2019 require unprecedented control of public spending, while no indication is given of the reforms to be implemented to achieve it, and unlike many recent decisions will lead to significant additional spending. This report is available on [the Court’s website] (https://www.ccomptes.fr/fr/publications/la-situation-et-les-perspectives-des-finances-publiques). The published files correspond to the data used in the preparation of the report.