ISTANBUL

French lawmakers late Tuesday narrowly approved the draft 2026 Social Security budget bill, marking a provisional victory for Sebastien Lecornu’s government ahead of its next step, review in the Senate.

France’s National Assembly narrowly approved the Social Security budget bill by a vote of 247- 234 and 93 abstaining.

"The three parts of the 2026 Social Security financing bill (PLFSS) – revenue, expenditure, and the account for the current year – were freely adopted after a demanding debate, without invoking Article 49.3 of the Constitution, a first since 2022," Prime Minister Lecornu said, welcoming the approval on US social media platform X.

He said the approval "allows progress in the general interest," reaffirming that the bill remains a "solid, useful, protective text" that "concretely improves" France's social security system.

"While the bill still records a deficit that is too high, it marks the end of a drift in public accounts: less than €20 billion ($23 billion) in deficit is better than €23 billion ($26 billion) for the current year. It is better than a €30 billion ($34 billion) deficit if nothing had been done," Lecornu added.

Lawmakers approved the budget’s spending component hours ago, with 227 voting in favor and 86 against after approving the revenue section on Friday.

On Friday, the National Assembly also overwhelmingly approved suspending the country’s contested pension reforms following the Senate’s rejection of the provision.

The assembly’s approval of the budget bill is only a step in the process, as the text will now return to the Senate before coming back to the lower house, where the government expects the final decision to be made.