France ignores agreed EU deadlines in 2015 budget

(AGI) Paris, Oct 1 - The French government has refused to reinin spending to bring its public deficit to less than 3 percentof economic output. In its budgetary assumptions for 2015, thegovernment foresees a deficit at 4.4 percent of GDP this year,4.3 percent next year, 3.8 percent in 2016, before dropping to2.8 percent in 2017, finally under the 3 percent ceilingprescribed by the EU. Previously, Paris had undertaken to bringit below 3 percent this year. "We have taken the decision toadapt the pace of deficit reduction to the economic situationof the