War, pandemic, disaster, recession: escape clauses without permanent deficit
A credible escape clause must be flexible enough for a real crisis and strict enough not to become the norm.
Published Plan
The source Plan uses a deliberately narrow exception framework, mainly war and sufficiently large natural disasters, with deficit caps and a required return to balance.
Why test recession and pandemic clauses
Swiss and German systems include cyclical or exceptional-event flexibility. therefore compares a strict source scenario with carefully bounded severe-recession or pandemic options before any final amendment is proposed.
Six safeguards
Defined trigger, qualified activation, capped amount, automatic expiry, separate accounting and mandatory amortization.
Correction account
Ex-post overruns would be carried into a correction account so that a change of government cannot erase the obligation to compensate them.
Working documents and data
Legal and institutional sources
French Constitution, Article 34
French fiscal council — official missions
Organic Budget Act, Article 61