France, June 27 -- France's public debt rose again in early 2025, reaching just over €3.35 trillion at the end of the first quarter - 114 percent of GDP - official figures showed on Thursday. The government now says it needs to find another €5 billion in savings to rein in the ballooning deficit.

The national statistics office INSEE said debt had gone up by €40.5 billion since the end of 2024. France now has the third highest debt in the EU after Greece and Italy.

The current debt level is double what it was in 1995, when it stood at 57.8 percent of GDP. The rise has been fuelled by financial shocks, the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent spike in inflation.

Last year, France's deficit - the yearly shortfall in governme...