The Bank of France has said that the French economy grew by 0.5% in the third quarter, stronger than a previous estimate of 0.4%.
In its monthly report, the bank said the new figure would result in growth this year of at least 2.2% this year, up from a previous forecast of 2.1%.
The estimate was based on the bank's monthly survey of business sentiment, and compares with the French government's 2006 growth forecast of around 2.5%.
