Lausanne Returns to Financial Surplus After Nine Years in Deficit

Lausanne ends nine-year deficit streak with 2025 surplus The city of Lausanne reported a financial surplus of 7.4 million francs for 2025, marking its first return to positive figures after nine consecutive years of deficits. Finance chief Florence Germond presented the final accounts of her tenure on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, revealing a significant turnaround from an initial budget projection of over 60 million francs in deficit. The actual result represented an improvement of 73.4 million francs compared to the original forecast. This outcome follows a deficit of 19.4 million francs in the previous year and reflects strengthened fiscal management during Germond’s 15-year stewardship of the city’s finances. Officials noted that net debt decreased by 32 million francs over the same period. Germond attributed the improvement to disciplined spending controls and increased tax revenue from businesses, partly driven by the implementation of the OECD’s minimum corporate tax framework. She emphasized that the city maintained robust investment levels while ensuring essential services, particularly in early childhood care, remained fully funded. Syndic Grégoire Junod praised Germond’s legacy of financial stability, highlighting that her administration consistently delivered results close to budgetary balance. He specifically referenced the 2011 structural financial improvement plan as a cornerstone of her approach, describing it as a rigorous yet measured strategy that avoided drastic cuts while prioritizing essential expenditures. In her remarks, Germond expressed satisfaction at having strengthened Lausanne’s financial health without compromising public services, noting her success in completing numerous projects and securing a sustainable self-financing capacity of 36 million francs for the year.