unemployment

To create jobs, the French may have to overcome an age-old adversity to risk. Be it the youth who aspire to a civil service job or the elites who prefer to work for a major corporation than chance it with a start-up, François Picard’s panel looks at how that mindset is being challenged.

It was a sacred cow, the holy grail. France's budget deficit would not, repeat not, exceed 3% of its GDP. It was etched in stone; the Socialist government had taken drastic measures to cut the deficit down to that magic number. But the financial markets, the IMF, the EU, neighbouring countries and probably the average French person knew that this was mission impossible due to sluggish growth. This week, the government finally admitted the sad truth.

Brand Beckham arrives in Paris and the French papers love it. They lead on his decision to play for Paris Saint-Germain for free for five months - he'll give his pay to a children's charity. Also on the front pages is Goodyear's decision to close a tyre plant in Amiens in northern France. Libération argues it adds to pressure on Hollande, while Le Figaro says one union, the CGT, is at fault.