French Prime Minister Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin told Irish and French business executives that France's GDP growth is likely to exceed the government's forecast of 1.7 per cent this year.
Addressing the Irish French Chamber of Commerce business breakfast at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, Mr Raffarin said: "Our most recent quarterly growth figure of 0.8 per cent allows us to consider that we are currently growing at an annualised rate of more than 2 per cent."
"We have based our budget on a growth estimate of 1.7 per cent. We think that this estimate has all the chances of being surpassed," he said.
Nonetheless, Mr Raffarin said the government remains cautious concerning the growth outlook, given the potential impact of international events, such as the conflict in Iraq.
"But with regards to internal factors . . . we are optimistic because we have consumer spending that is developing strongly, with growth of over 2 per cent in the first quarter," he said.