Major cuts in France
The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced, on Wednesday, the freezing of welfare and maintaining a similar measure for the salaries of civil servants, in force since 2010, in a savings plan of €50 billion, aimed to reduce budget expenditures by 2017.
The head of the Socialist government, for the first time, detailed the savings measures announced in January by President Francois Hollande, reaffirming that France will meet its commitment to reduce the budget deficit to 3% of the GDP, according to AFP.
Valls confirmed the allocation of the €50 billion savings to be made in the period from 2015 to 2017, €18 billion to the central government, €11 billion to the local authorities and €21 billion for social protection.
Pensions will be frozen, except for the very small ones, as social benefits, ie family allowances and unemployment benefits. State expenditures will be reduced mainly by decreasing the number of officers, except education, justice and police.
The prime minister said that the government's priority is to reduce unemployment, which remains at 10%, reducing the budget deficit to be made without affecting investments and by providing a continuous social model and modernizing public services.
