France hopes for 'ambitious' growth in budget plan

The French government on Wednesday presented a budget plan based on a buoyant growth prediction that raised eyebrows at France’s public finance watchdog.

Submitting his 2024 budget plan to President Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire put gross domestic product growth at 1.4 percent for next year, which compares to a 0.8 percent consensus among leading forecasters, and 0.9 percent from the country’s central bank.