Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Les Echos newspaper that the government now expected its crisis package to cost 100 billion euros ($108.6 billion) – over 4% of GDP and up from expectations of 45 billion euros less than a month ago.”These numbers could yet change as the economic situation and companies’ need of support is changing fast. We’re going all out to save our companies,” Le Maire said.
The overall bill is likely to rise even more as the government has yet to put a cost on bailouts for big companies like Air France KLM that Le Maire says is in the works.The immediate cost of the economic fallout from the outbreak has spiralled since President Emmanuel Macron pledged to save lives, jobs and companies “no matter what its costs”.The government will present its second upda…