France eyes Paris airport, lottery sell-off

The French government signalled Thursday it intends to sell part of its stakes in the Paris airport operator and national lottery firm as business-friendly President Emmanuel Macron seeks to bring in cash to state coffers.

But while the government has decided to reduce its stakes in Aeroports de Paris (ADP) and the Francaise des Jeux (FDJ) lottery, it has yet to confirm how much will be sold off.

The French state currently holds 50.6 percent of ADP, which owns and operates the capital's Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Le Bourget airports, and 72 percent of FDJ.

"We are considering opening up FDJ's capital," Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin on SUD Radio, in the first official acknowledgement that the government is planning such a move.