French Finance Minister hoping for 1% economic growth this year after 0.9% in 2025

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on Tuesday he expects the country's economic growth may speed up to 1% this year after a faster than expected 0.9% growth in 2025.

"We have got off to a good start," he said in an interview on BFM TV, adding the budget deficit will be equivalent to 5% of the country's gross domestic product, or lower.

Lescure spoke a day after France finally adopted a 2026 budget when two no-confidence motions against the government failed, heralding a period of relative stability for Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's weak minority government.

-Inti Landauro/Reuters