France’s newly appointed Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, on Friday ruled out reinstating a wealth tax or reversing controversial pension reforms, signaling his political priorities as he prepares the 2026 budget and forms his government.

In an interview with Le Parisien, Lecornu emphasized his commitment to reducing the fiscal deficit, stating, “I am starting from a blank page.”

His predecessor, François Bayrou, was ousted by parliament over plans to cut spending in next year’s budget by around €44 billion. Lecornu indicated that his goal is to achieve a budget deficit of approximately 4.7 percent of GDP by 2026, according to Reuters.