The French economy grew by 0.2 per cent in the third quarter of this year, below market expectations, underlining the slim prospect of a rapid recovery in the euro zone's second-largest economy.
The quarter-on-quarter rise in gross domestic product (GDP) was down from a confirmed increase of 0.4 per cent in the second quarter, national statistics office INSEE said today.
The third-quarter figures fell short of the average forecast of economists polled by Reuters, who estimated the French economy grew 0.3 per cent in the quarter.
"The figure confirms that France is not immune from the slowdown affecting our European partners and the United States," said Mr Bruno Cavalier, euro zone economist at Credit Lyonnais.
Most economists expect French growth in 2002 to fall just short of 1.0 per cent, below the government's official forecast of 1.2 per cent.