“We see the order books emptying”: the alert from the boss of Medef on “the rapid decline of France”

Parliamentarians have until the end of the month to vote on a budget for the year 2026. But given the content of the text, which was not adopted by the National Assembly on first reading, some would prefer the renewal of the 2025 budget by a special law. “Business leaders don’t care. It’s all nonsense,” said Medef President Patrick Martin on BFMTV and RMC this Thursday, December 4.

“What interests us is to take into account the reality of the economic situation,” he said, fearing a “rapid decline of France”.

Does Medef prefer a vote on the budget or the use of ordinances to adopt the executive text? “We trust this government to find the best route, but our subject is not there. We see order books emptying, we see jobs eliminated, we see investments postponed or completely eliminated. And we despair that the parliamentary debate does not take this situation into account,” explains Patrick Martin.

The president of Medef, however, calls on deputies not to vote for a text that would be unfavorable to businesses. “We’re trying to bring them back to their senses,” he said, believing that “we don’t need this budget.” “I do not despair that our parliamentarians will pull themselves together and take into account the real economic and social situation of the country,” he insists.

“We might have to take our heads off the handlebars at some point”

If his organization “does not do politics, but economics”, Patrick Martin deplores “a lying poker game won” by the Socialist Party, which notably obtained a suspension of the pension reform.

“The world around us is becoming very brutal, including on the commercial level (…) Jobs are being destroyed, growth is sluggish at the best of times, bankruptcies are increasing… We should perhaps at some point lift our heads from the handlebars and look forward to the future,” he insists.

This Thursday, senators continue examining the budget until December 15, before its return to the National Assembly. During the examination of the text at first reading, the deputies notably renewed for one year the surtax on the profits of large companies, but with a yield reduced by half, to 4 billion euros. A measure rejected by the Senate.

The initial copy targets a deficit reduced to 4.7% of GDP in 2026 compared to 5.4% in 2025, with around thirty billion euros in savings. The senators have largely reduced the new levies, with at least six to eight billion less revenue, according to the estimates of several elected officials at AFP. But they intend to compensate for these drops in revenue with cuts in spending.