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French economy expands 0.2% helped by household spending and exports

By Thomson Reuters Jul 30, 2026 | 12:44 AM

PARIS, July 30 (Reuters) – The French economy grew 0.2% in the second quarter ​from the first, official ‌data showed on Thursday, as a recovery in household spending and exports supported the euro ‌zone’s ​second-biggest economy.

The second-quarter ⁠growth came after ⁠the French economy contracted by 0.1% in the first quarter, and the 0.2% growth ​figure was in line with a Reuters analyst ⁠poll.

The official ⁠statistics body INSEE said ​on Thursday that an increase ​in exports in the aeronautics ‌sector had contributed to the economic recovery.

France – along with many other European economies – is ⁠facing the impact of the Iran war and tariffs from the ⁠United ‌States, and in July the ⁠French government cut ​its ‌overall growth forecast for ​the whole ⁠of 2026 to 0.7% from 0.9%.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Diana Mandia Alvarez; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and ​Jacqueline Wong)