Sarkozy: I will freeze EU contribution

French president vows to eliminate budget deficit by 2016 if re-elected.

Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s president, has pledged to freeze France’s contribution to the EU’s budget if he is elected for a second term.

Speaking at a press conference in Paris today, Sarkozy said that keeping France’s contribution to the EU’s budget unchanged would save €600 million a year. He did not elaborate on his calculation. France’s currently contributes around €19 billion a year, making it the second-largest contributor after Germany.

France, together with Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and five other countries have called for the EU’s budget to be frozen for 2014-20, after allowing for inflation.

The pledge was one element in a 32-point election manifesto presented today. Other proposed measures, designed to save €53.5 billion and to eliminate France’s deficit by 2016, included tax increases and cuts in health and regional spending.

Sarkozy, who faces the first round of elections on 22 April, said that the current fragile economic situation made tough action necessary. “Some countries are on the edge of a precipice today,” he said. “We cannot refuse to make the historic choice of competitiveness, innovation and public spending.”

Referring to the economic problems in Greece and Spain, he said: “The situation that our Spanish friends are experiencing, after what our Greek friends experienced, reminds us of the realities.”

Sarkozy wants to portray himself as more financially responsible than François Hollande, his Socialist rival, who has pledged to increase spending if he is elected.

Sarkozy highlighted his plans to balance the budget by 2016 to emphasise his commitment to a treaty on greater fiscal and budgetary discipline agreed by 25 European leaders in March. The treaty, which requires participating countries to balance their budgets, was agreed at Germany’s insistence to show that EU countries were serious about cutting budget deficits.

Hollande, by contrast, has said he will seek to renegotiate the treaty if he is elected, in a bid to introduce a greater emphasis on growth.