Paris: French opposition parties have expressed strong criticism over a confidential letter sent by former Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire to President Emmanuel Macron. The letter, dated April 2024, highlights concerns about escalating public spending costs and suggests the need for austerity measures.

According to Anadolu Agency, Le Maire disclosed the existence of the letter over the weekend, in which he warned Macron of the precarious state of France's finances. The letter, made public by France 5 and La Tribune Dimanche, proposed measures to cap the deficit at 4.9% for 2024 and recommended a comprehensive strategy to reduce the deficit to below 3% by 2027. Le Maire emphasized that any avoidance strategy would ultimately fail.

Eric Coquerel, chair of the National Assembly's Finance Committee and a representative of the La France Insoumise party, commented on the situation during an interview with BFMTV. He stated that Macron's failure to heed the warning in the letter constitutes 'a state omission.' Coquerel further argued that this oversight implies the budget presented was not sincere.

Meanwhile, Guillaume Bigot of the National Rally labeled the issue as a 'massive state scandal' on the US social media platform X. He accused Macron of being aware of the overspending and concealing it prior to the elections.

France is currently grappling with a significant public debt, amounting to 115% of its GDP, and one of the European Union's largest budget deficits, standing at 5.8% of GDP.