France in February 2026: the most important developments in economy
France's economic news in February 2026 was dominated by President Emmanuel Macron's push for European economic reform. On 10 February he called for new EU common debt, or eurobonds, to fund investment in green and digital transitions, and for a "European preference" in strategic industries, which he called "protection, not protectionism". The German government dismissed the joint borrowing proposal as a "distraction". On 11 February Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed on the need for reforms but opposed additional shared debt. On 12 February Macron set a June deadline for a European economic relaunch package, and reports described a "Made in Europe" dispute with Germany, with France reportedly giving some ground. At month end the question of eurobonds remained disputed.
Digital and technology policy formed a second theme. The French government decided to stop using Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and the Health Data Hub is to move from Microsoft to a European cloud provider. Paris prosecutors raided the offices of the platform X and summoned its owner, Elon Musk, for a voluntary interview as part of an investigation into algorithm manipulation and deepfakes. On 19 February Macron told the India AI Impact Summit that Europe aims to be a "safe space" for AI innovation, and Mistral AI signed a partnership with Accenture.
Energy was a third theme. France announced plans to build six new nuclear reactors and expand renewables, while reports noted cuts to its renewable energy targets. Gas storage in France and Germany fell to historic lows.
Company and market news made up the rest. The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on 5 February, and its president, Christine Lagarde, signaled on 19 February no imminent exit from her role. On 25 February Merz said China would order up to 120 aircraft from Airbus, while Airbus trimmed its output target, citing engine delays from Pratt & Whitney. Carrefour agreed to sell its Romanian operations, and French wine and spirits exports fell for the third year in a row.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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