France faces “Silent Hemorrhage” of Debt, Prime Minister Warns of Looming Crisis
PARIS – Prime Minister François Bayrou delivered a stark warning Monday regarding France’s escalating national debt, characterizing it as a “silent, underground, invisible hemorrhage” threatening future generations. Addressing the National assembly, bayrou detailed a rapidly increasing burden of annual debt repayments, exceeding the nation’s yearly wealth production.
According to figures presented,France generates approximately 50 billion euros in wealth annually. Though, annual debt annuity payments have risen dramatically: from 30 billion euros in 2020, to 60 billion in 2024, 67 billion this year, a projected 75 billion in 2026, 85 billion the following year, and a staggering 107 billion euros by the end of the decade, as forecast by the Court of Auditors.
Bayrou emphasized the concrete nature of these figures, stating, “You must have the precise figures in mind because these figures are not at all abstract.” He warned that younger generations will “wear and will carry for twenty or thirty years the weight of thousands of billions of debt that their elders have contracted,” effectively breaking “the contract of trust.” He echoed concerns raised by François Bayrou, who called for intergenerational solidarity, lamenting a youth convinced they will “Never” see retirement.
The Prime Minister’s address also took aim at political opponents poised to trigger a vote of no confidence, describing the potential outcome as a “Tohu-Bohu” - a state of chaos – for France. He criticized the disparate nature of the opposing forces, noting they “designate themselves as enemies.” Bayrou framed the situation as a fundamental flaw in political parties, leading inevitably to division, and urged a path towards “shared truth and courage to choose together” for the future of french democracy.
