Paris (AFP)

Because of the coronavirus, France will undoubtedly know in 2020 its worst year of economic recession since the end of the second world war, estimated Monday the Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire.

"The worst growth figure that has been made by France since 1945 is in 2009 after the great financial crisis of 2008: -2.2%. We will probably be far beyond -2.2% "this year, said the minister during a hearing before the Senate Economic Affairs Committee.

"This shows the extent of the economic shock we are facing," he added, with many sectors completely stopped due to the containment decided to try to halt the spread of the epidemic.

In its rectified budget adopted in mid-March, the government had initially envisaged a 1% recession this year, but Bruno Le Maire had, a few days later, already estimated that the decline in economic activity would be much greater .

According to INSEE, a month of confinement would cost France around 3 points of GDP over a year, and two months of confinement around 6 points.

© 2020 AFP