In France The government, in order to reduce the expenditure, intends to cut a third of the public agencies by the end of 2025, saving between 2 and 3 billion euros.
Universities are spared from the cuts to the French public sector. About 180,000 people work in French public agencies, excluding gendarmes.
How the cuts will happen
Today 434 state operators receive 77 billion of public funding. The budget minister Amelie de Montchalin explained that the cuts will take place mainly through pensioners And mergerto limit the social impact. But there will also be the layoffs.
Actors such as the Bio Agency (organic agriculture), Ademe (ecological transition), the ofb (biodiversity) and the CNN (information and participation) are already under observation.
By comparing the density of public employees, it is highlighted how Italy has 5.7 people employed in the public per 100 inhabitants. The Italian situation is determined by years of blocking hiring. In Germany there are 6.1 public employees, in Spain 7.3 and in the United Kingdom 8.1. There France beat everyone with his 8.3 public employees per 100 residents. At least until today, waiting for the cuts.
Reduce the public deficit
It is a tactic that falls into a wider strategy, that of the correction of course on the front of public deficit which in 2024 increased to 5.8% of the GDP. The government hopes to reduce it to 5.4% this year, at the cost of cuts for about 50 billion euro. The goal is that the deficit/GDP ratio reaches 3% by 2029, in line with the European parameters.
The final shoulder that contributed to the fall of the government led for a short time from Michel Barnier In the second half of 2024 it was the presentation of his budget law, which he promised cuts For 60 billion Euro: 20 billion in tax increases and 40 billion in the form of cuts to public spending. The goal, then as today, was to avoid further growth of the indebtedness, now practically double compared to the maximum roof provided for by European treaties. Because of this François Bayrouthe new Prime Minister, presented his plan for cuts.
From one bank to the other of the Atlantic, the node of the matter is always the same, that is, the containment of the expenditure that passes from massive cuts to public employees. In the USA it is called the doge program and Elon Musk is dealing with it, in France it is the piano bayrou.
The comparison with the rest of Europe
The Eurostat reveals that in the Eurozone in 2024 the average deficit dropped to 3.1% of GDP in 2024, starting from 3.5% in 2023. As regards countries participating in the EU there is 3.2%, always starting from 3.5%.
Public debt has increased slightly by 87.4% from 87.3%. In the EU there is talk of 81%, from 80.8% the highest deficits were recorded in:
- Romania (-9.3%);
- Poland (-6.6%);
- France (-5.8%).
THE’Italyfor once, is not among the less virtuous countries: with his 3.4% It is positioned at tenth place among the 27 EU countries. As for the public debthowever, Italy is second with the 135.3% On GDP, behind Greece (153.6%). Follow France (113%), Belgium (104.7%) and Spain (101.8%).
The EU has one procedure For deficit excessive, compared to 2023 data, out of eight countries: ItalyHungary, Romania, FrancePoland, Malta, Slovakia and Belgium. Austria is not under procedure, but is observed special.
