Former Finance Minister Éric Lombard Urges Use of Article 49.3 to Pass 2026 Budget Amid Political Deadlock

Former Minister of Economy and Finance Éric Lombard has called on the French government to consider using article 49.3 of the Constitution to adopt the 2026 budget, warning of significant challenges ahead. On January 11, Lombard emphasized the urgency for a "quick change of method" in budget negotiations, citing the current approach's failure after prolonged deadlock and political concessions.

Lombard expressed deep concern about the government's strategy under Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who reportedly ruled out deploying article 49.3—a constitutional provision allowing the government to pass legislation without a parliamentary vote unless a motion of censure is adopted. Lombard criticized this exclusion, calling it a failure in governmental responsibility. He highlighted that despite concessions made to the Socialist Party (PS), including suspending pension reforms, no budget has been successfully passed.

The budget faced rejection recently by deputies in a commission following 28 hours of intense discussions, illustrating the difficulty in reaching consensus with opposition parties. Lombard also described the current situation as more precarious than the period following the fall of Michel Barnier's government, underscoring anxieties for the next eighteen months of governance.

Lombard stated, "This method does not work. It is urgent to acknowledge this," referring to the government's all-parties negotiation approach. He viewed the concessions to the PS not as progress but as ineffective compromises that have stalled the budget’s adoption, calling for a firmer stance to ensure fiscal governance under France’s political system, which differs from pure parliamentary models.

As the 2026 budget is set for presentation in the National Assembly, Lombard’s intervention signals mounting pressure on the government to reconsider its legislative strategy, with article 49.3 emerging as a contentious but potentially necessary tool to break the parliamentary deadlock.