French Government Unveils 2026 Budget Priorities and Strong Anti-Fraud Measures

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has presented a comprehensive government roadmap focused on the 2026 budget and an aggressive crackdown on social and tax fraud. This plan comes with immediate legislative proposals to be submitted to the Council of Ministers before mid-October and Parliament by year-end.

The government estimates fraud in France at €100 billion for tax and €13 billion for social in 2024. Lecornu aims to recover €2.3 billion next year, emphasizing targeting lower-scale fraudsters. Key strategies include enhancing control mechanisms through the Caisse nationale de l’Assurance maladie (Cnam) and introducing a legislative framework to link biometric identity cards with digital health cards to fight identity theft.

Expanded data sharing among social organizations will improve fraud detection, alongside tighter scrutiny of medical reimbursements and social benefit abuses. The Office national antifraude (Onaf) is set for increased powers to uncover hidden assets abroad. Financial penalties will become stricter, including raising the contribution rate for social debt reimbursement from 9.7% to 25% and allowing immediate freezing of funds by Urssaf in cases of undeclared work.

Lecornu also pledged to reduce public spending while protecting vulnerable groups, confirming no hospital closures despite efforts to manage social security deficits. The roadmap highlights tax reforms involving increases and decreases tailored for fairness and efficiency, with a new universal social allowance introduction.

Addressing the coalition's concerns, Lecornu underscored that public safety, combating incivilities, and tackling immigration remain top priorities. Planned measures include extending municipal police powers and fighting drug trafficking.

Overall, the government emphasizes compromise and collective responsibility across coalition parties to drive these reforms, differentiating itself from previous administrations.

This roadmap underscores France's commitment to fiscal prudence and combative anti-fraud policies to safeguard public finances and social welfare systems.