In France, December 2025 was marked by a persistent political crisis over the state budget for 2026, with a divided Parliament unable to reach an agreement before the end of the year. The government of Sébastien Lecornu, faced with the absence of a clear majority, had to resort to a special law to avoid a total blockage, allowing the State to be provisionally financed in 2026 by carrying over the taxes and expenditures of 2025. This solution, adopted unanimously by Parliament, avoids administrative paralysis but limits new spending, particularly in defence or public investment.
The debates on the social security budget were also tense, with difficult compromises, particularly on the suspension of pension reform. The government has held numerous consultations with social partners and political groups in an attempt to reach agreements, but divisions persist, particularly with the Senate. In his end-of-year wishes, Emmanuel Macron called for compromises to be built from January 2026 onwards to provide the country with a sustainable budget.
Despite this unstable political context, the French economy continued to show signs of resilience. According to the economic outlook published on December 17, 2025 by INSEE, GDP growth should have reached +0.9% in 2025, based on controlled inflation and rising industrial activity, above its long-term average. According to INSEE, the business climate confirmed "its autumnal improvement" in December. The index gained one point for the third consecutive month, reaching its highest level since June 2024.
The CAC 40 increased by 10%, driven by a more favourable international environment and solid business results. Despite persistent challenges (unemployment, debt), France maintains its position as 9th global economic powerhouse and was even ranked ahead of the United States and Germany by the prestigious British magazine The Economist in its annual ranking of world economies.
Road freight transport prices in France rose by 0.7% in December 2025 compared to November. For once, they seemed to follow the dynamics of the French economy.
Source: Upply Freight Index – Road France
But to assess trends in road transport, it is also necessary to look at variations in the price of professional diesel, which strongly influence costs and therefore prices. Professional diesel fuel prices rose by 4.5% in November and fell by 5.5% in December, pointing to high volatility in the professional market.
This tends to show that the mechanism for passing on variations in the cost of diesel, which occurs with a lag of about one month, was verified in December, with prices following the evolution of costs in November 2025. The CNR LD EA Index showed an increase of 1.1% while it indicated a decrease of -1.3% in December (...).