REUTERS NEXT-France's Le Maire says 6% growth target for 2021 not out reach

"I am really quite confident that the second part of 2021 will be good for the French economy," Le Maire said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference. But he cautioned: "We have to remain humble and cautious because we have been fooled by the virus many times." The minister said he was not worried about the initially slow roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine in France.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday said a growth forecast of 6% for France's economy in 2021 remained within reach and that he was confident of a strong recovery by the end of the year. "I am really quite confident that the second part of 2021 will be good for the French economy," Le Maire said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference.

But he cautioned: "We have to remain humble and cautious because we have been fooled by the virus many times." The minister said he was not worried about the initially slow roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine in France. For more coverage from the Reuters Next conference please click here or www.reuters.com/business/reuters-next To watch Reuters Next live, visit https://www.reutersevents.com/events/next/register.php