Rome, Sept. 8 (LaPresse) – "As head of government, I wanted this test of truth. I wanted this meeting, and some of you, the reasonable ones, thought it was unreasonable, that it was too great a risk. I think differently; the greatest risk would have been letting things go on without anything changing," said French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou during his speech before the National Assembly ahead of the confidence vote. "What we are facing today is not a political problem, it is a historic problem," he added. Bayrou then reviewed what he defined as "France’s problems," which "are tied to a fundamental issue": namely, "the problem of controlling our excessive indebtedness." "France has not had a balanced budget for 51 years," he added. "We keep spending but never go back. It has become a reflex and, worse still, an addiction." Reducing public debt is a matter of "vital urgency," he concluded.
© Copyright LaPresse
