French Economy and Finance Minister Eric Lombard said on the 7th that the worsening growth outlook is making it difficult to achieve the 2026 fiscal deficit reduction target, and indicated that additional spending cuts may be necessary. The government lowered its growth forecast from 0.9 percent to 0.7 percent, citing the economic slowdown at the start of the year and the impact of the war in Iran. Lombard said that reaching the target of a fiscal deficit of 5 percent of GDP is clearly difficult, and pledged to get as close as possible. Budget Minister Amélie de Montchalin suggested that on top of the 6 billion euros in emergency spending cuts already implemented, an additional 3 billion euros in cuts or freezes would be needed to offset unforeseen expenditures. It was also pointed out that local government spending risks exceeding the budget by up to 2 billion euros.