PARIS (AFX) - French finance minister Laurent Fabius said on France 3 television that French economic growth this year will likely fall below the current official government forecast of 2.9 pct.
Although the government is currently maintaining its forecast, Fabius said recently that growth would be nearer 2.7 pct.
He said the French economy is "slowing but resistant," and that GDP growth should still be well above 2 pct for the year.
"(The economy) is doing better than elsewhere but not as well as expected," Fabius said, citing the U.S. slowdown as the main cause for the GDP revision.
The statistics bureau Insee is forecasting full-year GDP of 2.5 pct, while budget discussions last Autumn were based on expected GDP growth this year of 3.3 pct.