Paris: France 'does not have the means to absorb crises and to cope,' the Senate president said on Wednesday, linking current economic pressure to the impact of the war in the Middle East. 'Over-indebted and overtaxed,' France is no longer in a position to absorb shocks, Gerard Larcher told broadcaster BFM TV.

According to Anadolu Agency, Larcher emphasized the need to inform the French populace about the economic challenges, attributing the current difficulties to policy decisions made over the past decade. 'We are paying for the lack of decisions over the past ten years. We are paying for the 'whatever it takes,'' he said, referring to pandemic-era spending policies. Larcher further added that public spending was not reduced and that state reforms were not carried out.

Larcher also critiqued the two presidential terms of Emmanuel Macron, suggesting a national debate next year on 'how to put the country back on track.' His comments followed the government's announcement of spending cuts ranging from £4 billion (approximately $4.3 billion) to £6 billion ($6.4 billion) in response to the economic impact of the Middle East conflict.

The Senate president pointed to a forthcoming meeting of the public finance alert committee in June, indicating that additional measures might be necessary. 'There will be another meeting in June of the public finances alert committee, and we will see, depending on international developments, whether there will be a need for additional freezes or reinforced spending cuts,' he noted. Larcher concluded by stating that lawmakers were closely monitoring the situation and had already warned the government during debates on the 2026 budget.