Former finance minister Bruno Le Maire attends his hearing before the committee of enquiry into the deficit at the French National Assembly in Paris on December 12, 2024. The government's decision not to table a rectifying finance bill (PLFR) after it was revealed that the public deficit had soared was the subject of debate at a parliamentary committee of enquiry on December 11, 2024, with the underlying criticism being that the government's decision to arbitrate had reduced Parliament's room for manoeuvre. (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)