France vows to adhere to EU spending rules

France's President Emmanuel Macron (Top-L) stands in the command car flanked by Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMA), Thierry Burkhard during the Bastille Day military parade on the Avenue Foch, in Paris on July 14, 2024. [AFP]

France's new finance minister Antoine Armand on Monday strove to convince his EU counterparts that Paris is serious about reining in its ballooning deficit and complying with the bloc's budget rules.

The new minister will present the national budget on Thursday, which Paris hopes will tackle France's "colossal" debt through spending cuts and new taxes.