Though the labyrinthine legislative process is far from finished, opposition lawmakers have managed to pass several amendments opposed by the government, including massive corporate tax hikes.
Not all amendments are certain to make it to the final draft, but Lecornu will have less control over the final product than his predecessors, as he vowed not to use a constitutional backdoor to pass his budget. To ensure his minority government’s survival, the prime minister is allowing lawmakers to debate and vote on whatever emerges from the parliamentary proceedings.
“Today, because the French have decided so, the political situation has changed and we must work differently,” Macron said.
During Monday’s event, Lecornu told business executives that those tax increases are unlikely to make it to the final budget because he thinks they are unconstitutional and, in his opinion, the current text is unlikely to get parliament’s final nod.