Macron's Ukraine €3Bln aid pledge in budget quandary: Le Monde

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Le Monde
27 Mar 2024 16:56
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Macron's commitment to offer €3 billion in support for Kiev has become a "budgetary and political headache" for his government, Le Monde said.

France's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and France's President Emmanuel Macron attend a "national tribute" ceremony to late French politician and admiral, Philippe de Gaulle, son of General de Gaulle, at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris, Wednesday, March 20, 2024 (AP)

A report by Le Monde on Tuesday stated that it is "extremely unclear" how President Emmanuel Macron will manage to fulfill promises to increase military aid to Ukraine as the government struggles with plans for spending reductions.

According to the report, French authorities are aiming to save €10 billion ($10.8 billion) this year as they contend with a budget deficit of €144.5 billion ($156 billion) and a lowered growth projection. Analysts have projected economic growth by a mere 1% this year.

In February, the French government announced that the €10 billion reduction could be accomplished by cutting expenses across all ministries and scaling back on public policies, such as development aid and subsidies for building renovation.

Under these circumstances, Macron's commitment to offering €3 billion in support for Kiev has become a "budgetary and political headache" for his government, Le Monde said.

According to the paper, lawmakers from Macron's ruling Renaissance party frequently encounter inquiries from voters who are perplexed by the government's ability to allocate billions to Ukraine while proposing spending cuts domestically.

"People ask us why we're giving €3 billion to Ukraine, it’s a lot of money," Renaissance MP Mathieu Lefevre was quoted as saying.

Le Monde suggested that to fulfill their promise to Kiev, authorities in Paris may need to "play with the paperwork," possibly by incorporating France's €900 million contribution to the European Peace Facility, an EU fund designated to aid Ukraine, within the €3 billion total sum.

Another option might involve increasing the value of the equipment donated to the Ukrainian government.

However, the outlet added that Macron’s cabinet would likely still need to make amendments to the finance bill (PLFR) in the summer, despite such a move being "politically inflammable." This would necessitate approval from the National Assembly, where opposition parties object to further funding for Kiev.

Despite the challenges outlined by Le Monde, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated on Tuesday that Paris would soon be able to deliver 78 more Caesar howitzers to Kiev, while also bolstering the supply of shells to the country.