Abstract:
Unlike the United States, France has never experienced a government shutdown, even when its Parliament has proved unable to pass a budget on time. This article explains why, arguing that budgetary continuity in France rests on a constitutional and legal framework deliberately designed to keep the State funded in all circumstances. After outlining the budgetary principles inherited from the nineteenth century, the article examines how the 1958 Constitution equipped the government with powerful tools to secure the timely adoption of Finance Acts, and how the Constitutional Council later reinforced these safeguards to rule out shutdowns at all costs. It then turns to the political crisis triggered by the 2024 snap elections, which tested the resilience of this framework to its limits, and identifies the questions that remain unresolved regarding the emergency financial measures available to the executive when no budget can be passed.
