The European Commission on Wednesday recommended closing a European Union fiscal procedure against France, nine years after it was opened, saying the country had embarked on a "solid" path towards reducing its deficit spending.
The widely expected move comes as France's deficit dropped below the required ceiling last year and is expected to stay below 3 per cent of gross domestic product this year and next.
"We believe that the trajectory of France is robust and solid," the EU economics commissioner Pierre Moscovici told a news conference.
The EU opened the procedure against France in 2009 when it expanded its public spending in the face of the global financial crisis.
The procedure could lead to fines but the commission has so far refrained from imposing financial sanctions. EU states decide the formal closure of a procedure following a commission's proposal.
After years of spending above the EU limits, France recorded a deficit of 2.6 percent of its gross domestic product last year, as economic growth strengthened and President Emmanuel Macron took office.
The Commission forecast that the French deficit will drop further this year to 2.3 per cent of GDP and will remain below...
