The French state is preparing to face a year of high tension in the financial markets. With 300 billion euros to borrow in 2025, an unprecedented level of debt, Bercy must maneuver in a particularly unstable environment. The French Treasury Agency (AFT), responsible for debt issuance, faces a double challenge: ensuring the financing of the country without destabilizing the markets and reassuring increasingly cautious investors. Indeed, political uncertainty further complicates the situation. Since the fall of the Barnier government, France has been operating without an approved budget, which strengthens doubts about the country’s budgetary trajectory. A special law adopted in emergency allows for the maintenance of borrowing, but this temporary solution is not enough to dispel the concerns. In the markets, signs of instability are multiplying. The spread between French and German rates, a key indicator of investor confidence, has doubled in a year to exceed 80 basis points. This signal reflects a riskier perception of French debt and could increase the cost of financing. In this climate of uncertainty, Bercy must find the right balance. Will the AFT’s strategy, based on predictability, regularity, and flexibility, be enough to avoid an excessive rise in interest rates? With only a few days until the first auctions, pressure is mounting on financial officials, while investors are waiting for guarantees on the country’s budgetary stability.
