The French government will propose combining or eliminating a third of government agencies by the end of the year in a bid to save money, the public accounts minister said on Sunday.
“We will, by the end of the year, propose in the budget that a third of state-backed agencies and operators that are not universities are merged or eliminated,” Amelie de Montchalin, the public accounts minister, said in an interview with French broadcaster CNews/Europe 1.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s government has sought to cut the public sector budget deficit from 5.4% of economic output this year to 3%, the European Union’s ceiling, in 2029.
There are multiple ways to balance a budget, but the conservatives only ever want to cut services, because that’s the outcome preferred by the rich. And regardless, a minority government really shouldn’t be trying to fundamentally reshape government structure. If you want to have that level of change, win an election.