French President Francois Hollande has fired the countryâ„¢s energy and environment minister for criticizing the governmentâ„¢s economic policy.
Hollandeâ„¢s office announced on Tuesday that Delphine Batho — the first minister in the Socialist government to be dismissed — had been replaced by Philippe Martin for publicly criticizing austerity plans aimed at cutting the countryâ„¢s 2014 budget deficit.
The French Finance Ministry has announced plans to tackle next yearâ„¢s budget deficit by slashing government spending by 14 billion euros (18 billion US dollars) — the first such cuts since 1958.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said that the Å“government will keep a tight grip on spending.”
The plans, which target the Energy and Environment Ministry with seven percent in spending cuts, will also be repeated in 2015 to rein in the public deficit.
The French government has also been struggling to make budget savings by raising taxes since May 2012, when Hollande took office.
In November 2012, Moodyâ„¢s Investors Service downgraded France’s credit rating from AAA to AA1 and gave a negative outlook for the French economy, indicating it could be downgraded again.
MHB/AS
Republished with permission from: Press TV