Valls promises more cuts in spending, Socialist MP
France's new prime minister, Manuel Valls, is planning more cuts in spending over and above the 50-billion-euros-worth announced by President François Hollande as part of his Responsibility Pact with business, a Socialist MP said ahead of Valls's presentation of his policies to parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
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Valls told a meeting of the Socialist parliamentary group on Tuesday to expect more cuts to be spelt out in a mini-budget at the end of June, MP Christian Eckert told the Reuters news agency.
He also told the MPs that France's triennial fiscal trajectory submission to the European Commission will be postponed until the end of April.
Valls already faced criticism from the left over the perceived right-wing nature of the government's policies, with Communist MPs saying they would oppose a vote of confidence after Tuesday's speech and the Greens, who quit the government when he was appointed, split as to whether to back him.
About 100 Socialist MPs published an open letter calling for a change of policy last week, creating speculation that some of them might vote against or abstain.
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