The European Commission on Wednesday reprimanded France for breaching the EU's spending rules under President Emmanuel Macron, in the runup to snap elections marked by lavish spending promises.

The European Union's executive arm said "the opening of a deficit-based excessive deficit procedure is warranted" for France as well as Belgium, Italy, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia. The seven states had deficits -- the shortfall between government revenue and spending -- above three percent of gross domestic product, in violation of the bloc's fiscal rules.