France's Minister for Economy, Finances and Industrial and Digital sovereignty Eric Lombard looks on as he attends a consultation session focused on France's budget, with political parties, at the French Ministry for the Economy and Finances (Bercy), in Paris, on January 8, 2025. The difficult job of delivering a budget plan for 2025 falls upon Eric Lombard, the 66-year-old head of public-sector lender Caisse des Depots (CDC), who was named Economy Minister. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP) (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)