French Parliament Deadlocks on 2026 Budget, Government Proposes Special Law to Ensure State Continuity

On December 19, 2025, deputies and senators in the French parliament failed to reach an agreement on the 2026 state budget during a mixed joint commission meeting. According to parliamentary sources reported by Libération, the negotiation collapsed quickly, making it impossible to adopt the state budget before December 31. Similarly, France 24 confirmed that the commission mêlée paritaire (CMP) could not agree on a common budgetary text.

As a result of this deadlock, the French government announced plans to submit a special law to guarantee the continuity of state functions starting January 1, 2026. This special measure will allow essential operations such as tax collection and public services to continue uninterrupted until a formal budget is adopted. The government expects this formal budget to be passed in early January, as both news outlets highlight.

While the overarching state budget talks stalled, the budget for social security was already definitively adopted earlier this week, providing partial fiscal clarity for 2026.

This stalemate echoes the challenges faced in recent years in the French legislative process to finalize national budgets, underscoring the complexities of achieving consensus between deputies (the National Assembly) and senators (the Senate).

In summary, the failure of the parliament's joint commission to find common ground on the 2026 budget has pushed the government to intervene with a special law. This law aims to maintain the day-to-day functioning of the state from the start of the new year and pave the way for renewed budget negotiations next month.