EU Commission asked France for 2015 budget clarification - Hollande

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission has asked France for more information on its 2015 budget draft, President Francois Hollande said on Friday, after Paris had sent the EU executive arm a fiscal plan that falls well short of its earlier commitments. France had promised in 2013 to cut its structural deficit -- a measure that is independent of the rate of economic growth -- by 0.8 percent in 2014 and the same in 2015, while the 2015 budget envisages a cut of only 0.2 percent. This is a breach of EU rules that is likely to make the Commission reject the French draft and ask Paris for amendments. Hollande told reporters after the first day of an EU summit that France would not make bigger savings next year than the 21 billion euros already envisaged. But there could be other ways to comply with the structural deficit requirements, he said. "Afterwards, one can seek other ways to reach the structural deficit targets," he said. France has one week to respond to the Commission's request for more details on the 2015 draft. The EU executive will then have to decide if the budget plan must be sent back for amendments or can be accepted. (Reporting By Jean-Baptiste Vey, writing by Jan Strupczewski)