France must find up to €10 billion to bring its public deficit back to 4.5% of gross domestic product, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said today.
Moscovici told French TV that the country's new socialist-led government was looking for €7-10 billion.
"We are somewhere in the middle I imagine, but I am waiting to see the official figures,'' he added.
He also said that a European Union summit to take place this week in Brussels had to see euro zone countries propose "structural solutions" to a crisis that is now in its third year.
Moscovici insisted this meeting of EU leaders "is not a banal summit". Markets and other countries around the world "expect Europeans to finally come up with structural solutions, and that is what they are looking for".
He said the EU meeting on Thursday should "finally provide the euro with a political spine, and banking regulation".
