Gabriel Attal Criticizes 2024 National Assembly Dissolution for Deep Economic Impact in France

Gabriel Attal, leader of the Renaissance party and former Prime Minister, has strongly condemned the 2024 dissolution of the French National Assembly, declaring it "one of the most disastrous political decisions" in Fifth Republic history with severe repercussions on France's economic health.

Speaking at the French Digital Day event in Paris, Attal argued that the dissolution, ordered by President Emmanuel Macron in June 2024 after the European elections, triggered political fragmentation and deprived the presidential majority of control in the Assembly. This political instability, he stressed, has contributed significantly to economic turmoil.

Under Attal's government, borrowing rates were held between 1.2% and 1.5%, but have since surged to 4.5%. Economic growth has plunged from nearly 2% to almost zero, while unemployment has risen from 7.5% to an estimated 8.3% by the second quarter of 2026, with forecasts pointing towards 8.6% by year-end.

Attal highlighted that the national debt crossed €3 trillion during his tenure and emphasized that for the first time in 15 years, government public spending slightly decreased due to successive savings. He urged austerity measures focused on social expenditure, which accounts for 60% of public spending mostly in pensions.

Addressing the importance of modernizing France's economy, Attal advocated for leveraging artificial intelligence technologies to boost productivity and claimed that adopting such innovations is key to securing France's ambition of becoming the EU's leading power within a decade.

These remarks underline Attal's view that the June 2024 National Assembly dissolution has directly undermined French economic stability and growth prospects, intertwining political disruptions with a deteriorating financial climate.