PARIS -- French ministers are back at work after the three weeks or so of rest they were granted following their first 100 days in office. The least one can say is that the tasks ahead of them won't be easy. Crime has increased by 3 percent in spite of the new Cabinet's vow to make crime-fighting a top priority. Unemployment increased by 0.9 percent in July, depriving the state of important revenues and compelling it to spend more to help the jobless.
There's nothing specifically French about this situation; it mainly results from America's economic slowdown. The severe fall of stock markets worldwide over the past several weeks eliminates any hope of a fast recovery.
When the number of businessmen and bankers presently being prosecuted in the United States for their roles in corporate scandals is added into the equation, the near bankruptcy of giant French communication group Vivendi is leading more and more people to question the alleged ability of economic liberalism to meet all challenges.