French inflation revised slightly upwards in March to 5.7% – final figures

PARIS(Reuters) – French annual inflation rose to a slightly revised 5.7% in March – albeit down from 6.3% in February – as lower energy prices helped offset surging food prices, according to final figures from the INSEE statistics body on Friday.

The preliminary figure for March released last month was 5.6%. The inflation figure, on an EU-harmonised basis, stood at 6.7% – also up from an initial, preliminary figure of 6.6%.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told reporters on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington on Thursday that he expected France to exit the inflation crisis by mid-2023, allowing the country to normalize its finances.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)