The French government has proposed a 2026 education budget that quietly cuts funding for several flagship programs championed by Emmanuel Macron since 2022. Some initiatives, like the CNR and the Universal National Service, are set to disappear entirely. While other measures receive funding, the proposal signals a halt to emblematic policies from the president's second term.
Stakeholders in the French education system anxiously await the annual budget discussions each autumn. While ministers and the president deliver ambitious speeches, it is the finance bill (PLF) that unveils true priorities through thousands of compiled figures.
For 2026, the government-proposed budget, prior to any parliamentary amendments, allocates funds to select reforms. It finances 8,800 positions for implementing the new initial teacher training reform, amounting to 88 million euros according to the Senate. Additionally, 303 million euros are earmarked for complementary social protection benefiting all ministry agents starting May 1.
More discreetly, however, the proposal imposes a sharp brake on several flagship measures championed by Emmanuel Macron during his second term. Since 2022, the head of state had promoted emblematic initiatives, but the 2026 budget cuts their funding or eliminates them outright. Among these, the CNR and the Universal National Service vanish completely, highlighting a gap between presidential announcements and budgetary decisions.
This approach reflects broader fiscal constraints, refocusing on structural reforms like teacher training at the expense of more symbolic programs. Parliamentarians may still alter the proposal in upcoming debates.