After the National Assembly's narrow second reading approval of the 2026 social security bill on December 9 and final adoption on December 16, France's Parliament grapples with a tight constitutional deadline for the state finance bill amid Senate disagreements.
France's 2026 budget adoption process, marked by a fragile cross-party compromise on the social security financing bill (PLFSS), faces intensifying pressure from constitutional deadlines.
The PLFSS, which passed its second reading in the National Assembly on December 9 by a slim 13-vote margin without invoking Article 49.3, achieved definitive adoption on December 16 by 247 votes to 232. President Emmanuel Macron is expected to promulgate it by December 31, potentially after an expedited eight-day Constitutional Council review.
The state finance bill (PLF), however, remains stalled. Submitted late on October 14 by the Lecornu government, it was rejected in first reading by the National Assembly after 125 hours of debate (November 21-22). The Senate adopted a reworked version on December 15 by 187 to 109 votes, with right and centrist amendments cutting billions in proposed tax increases.
A joint committee (CMP) of seven deputies and seven senators aims for compromise, but failure seems probable. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon indicated on December 10 that discussions may extend into January. A special finance law deadline for basic tax collection and borrowing from January 1, 2026, expires December 19—echoing last year's provisional measure. The constitutional deadline for PLF adoption is December 23, after which ordinances could be used, though promulgation by December 31 is unlikely.
