The French government asked the European Commission to again delay the deadline set for subimitting its next budgetary plan, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Monday.
According to people familiar with the matter, Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government mailed the commission on Sunday pleading for more time to create its financial scheme for the next few years. The original deadline was September 20, however, the EU moved that deadline to the middle of October as only two members managed to respect the initial schedule.
The sources added that the bloc and the French Finance Ministry remain in contact on setting a date Paris will be able to honor given the novelty of its government and give it enough time to come up with a spending plan in accordance with the EU's guidance. "The ideal scenario is we agree on the plan [before it is submitted] to avoid rejecting it," an EU official told the FT.