The draft budget for 2024 which will be debated from October in Parliament will “probably” be adopted after “around ten” appeals to article 49.3 of the Constitution, like last year, warned Thursday the Minister Delegate for Public Accounts, Thomas Cazenave.
In the absence of an absolute majority in the Assembly, this tool allows the government to pass a text without a vote, unless a motion of censure is adopted.
It was drawn for the first time in the new parliamentary season on Wednesday evening, on a public finance programming text which defines France’s budgetary trajectory until 2027 and conditions, according to the executive, the disbursement of European funds for France.
Thomas Cazenave indicated on LCI that this use of 49.3 would probably be the first in a long series.
“The budget is both the finance bill (PLF) for the State budget (and) the Social Security financing bill (PLFSS). So it will probably be around ten 49.3 depending on the progress of the debates,” he indicated.
“My responsibility as Minister of Public Accounts is to provide the country with a budget before the end of the year,” he continued.
“I understand that the oppositions do not vote on budgetary texts” but “do we have the choice or not to have a budget? How will it work on January 1, 2024 if we don’t have a budget? Are we stopping funding our hospitals, our police officers, our teachers? It would not be reasonable and not responsible,” he insisted.
Mr. Cazenave specified that the Council of Ministers should further ratify the possible use of 49.3 for the PLF and the PLFSS.