At the same time, the burden of regulation has stifled innovation and growth, and the hefty cost of administering it is piling up debt for future generations. Over the past 20 years, a million extra civil servants have been recruited. Despite mini-reforms of pensions and health care on Mr Chirac's watch, the social-security deficit is heading for more than €1 billion ($1.3 billion) by 2009, say official estimates.

ooooh. A one billion deficit. Now that's scary. Not like a several hundred billion one, though.

And this bit of information, from INSEE:

Total number of civil servants (using the widest definition, last line in the table linked to above):

1994. 2 913,7
      
2003. 3 145,9
      
2004. 3 134,1

Oooh. A scary 220,000 increase (or 7%) in ten years.
Nothing like the 20% increase in 7 years under Blair:

>

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes