France's Deficit to Stay at 2.7% of GDP This Year, Echos Says

By Sandrine Rastello

Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The French government won't meet its budget-deficit reduction target this year, leaving the shortfall at 2.7 percent of gross domestic product as in 2007, Les Echos reported without saying where it got the information.

The shortfall may remain the same for 2009, according to Les Echos. The government has based its budget for next year on a growth forecast of 1 percent, it said.

The central government shortfall may worsen to between 47 billion euros ($68.2 billion) and 48 billion euros this year, from 38.4 billion euros in 2007, the newspaper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sandrine Rastello in Paris at srastello@bloomberg.net;