Candidates for France's snap elections have defended their economic plans before the employers' federation Medef, though business leaders remain sceptical about how their various spending plans will be funded. Meanwhile, the French think tank Institut Montaigne has put a price tag on different parties' key election promises, from the ruling Ensemble bloc's tax-free bonuses, to the far-right National Rally's VAT cut on energy and fuel, to the left-wing New Popular Front's freeze on prices of essential goods.