France faces 5.4% deficit as student protests demand school repairs

French President Emmanuel Macron met with student representatives on Friday for the first time since nationwide protests began in mid-September, but the talks failed to ease tensions. Student leaders called for further mobilization until the government presents concrete actions. The meeting followed a weekend of demonstrations where the Ministry of Interior reported 410,000 participants nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris.

The protests started in mid-September when high school students blockaded campuses to protest overcrowded classrooms, often holding 32 to 35 pupils, and unreplaced teacher absences. Teachers joined the movement to address low salaries, with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reporting that French teachers earn 41,968 euros annually compared to 69,453 euros in Germany. The dispute expanded to include trade unions and civil servants as opposition to the government's proposed 54-billion-euro cost-cutting package for the 2027 budget grew.

The fiscal pressure stems from a national debt of 3.6 trillion euros, equivalent to 119 percent of gross domestic product. The government expects the deficit to reach 5.4 percent of GDP in 2026, well above the European Union average of just over 3 percent. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu acknowledged the anger among young people in an address on October 7 and promised a plan by the end of October. He instructed ministers to review spending as public funds for higher education and research have dropped by 20 percent relative to student numbers since 2017, according to economist Lucas Chancel.

Macron stated during a visit to Marseille on Monday that he has asked the government to address the legitimate demands of the protest movement. The administration also expects to announce changes to Parcoursup, the national online university admissions platform. Critics argue that the state is prioritizing private school funding and pension costs over public infrastructure. A government report indicates that nearly one-third of some ministries' budgets pay for the pensions of retired civil servants.

Amine Snoussi, a journalist and former parliamentary assistant, described public high schools as cold and dirty, with some buildings infested with rats. He noted that absent teachers have gone unreplaced for over six months while teaching jobs are cut. In a report, economist Thomas Piketty observed that France's private wealth has grown to 600 percent of GDP, suggesting the country has never been richer but faces a distribution problem. People aged 60 and older own 60 percent of the country's wealth, according to a January 2026 review by the OFCE think tank.

Antonio Fatas, a professor at INSEAD, noted that France's growth has been limited for years, leading to demands for government support. He stated that government spending is the largest among advanced economies, leaving little room to spend the way out of the crisis. The state currently consumes roughly 57 percent of total GDP, with 14 percent allocated strictly to worker pensions. Fatas described the situation as political paralysis regarding reform decisions. Macron has defended his economic policies, particularly the removal of the wealth tax, by arguing that forcing the wealthy out of the country will not help the poor.