France Lowers 2026 Economic Growth Forecast to 0.5%

France's Finance Minister Roland Lescure announced a reduction in the country's economic growth forecast for 2026 to 0.5%, down from a previous projection of 0.7%. The minister attributed the degraded outlook to extreme crises, including the conflict in the Middle East and summer heatwaves, which have impacted agricultural output. This revised forecast complicates the government's efforts to meet its fiscal budget deficit target of 5.0% of economic output for the year.