Hollande government responds to criticism

Article reported that France’s Socialist government returned from holiday in late August 2012 in anxious mood, promising a flurry of initiatives intended to blunt recent criticism that President François Hollande and his government had failed to respond convincingly to a darkening economic outlook.

The President was struggling to reconcile his 2012 election promises to put growth ahead of austerity, with a firm pledge to reduce France’s budget deficit to 3% of gross national product in 2013, at a time when growth had stalled for the previous three quarters and unemployment was nudging 10% of the workforce.

ESO: Background information: Hollande ready to tackle public finances http://www.europeansources.info/record/hollande-ready-to-tackle-public-finances/

Les Echoes / Le Monde, 28.8.12: Measures fail to stem soaring unemployment (via PressEurop) http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/2595131-measures-fail-stem-soaring-unemployment

France24, 28.8.12: French unemployment nears three million in July http://www.france24.com/en/20120827-france-unemployment-hollande-july-figures-level-rise-increase

Marianne / Libération / Le Figaro / L'Express, 3.9.12: Hollande government faces wind of panic (via PressEurop) http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/2627981-hollande-government-faces-wind-panic

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