France is four months ahead of other European countries in its economic recovery plan, according to the minister in charge of the €26bn fiscal stimulus announced by President Nicolas Sarkozy in December.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Patrick Devedjian, minister for economic recovery and a close adviser to Mr Sarkozy, said France had managed to speed ahead because its centralised system allowed the government to mobilise resources more quickly.

He said three-quarters of the €26bn ($35bn, ￡23bn) would be spent in 2009, and projects that did not use their funding in time would have it withdrawn. Of the funding, €10bn has already been disbursed to projects ranging from a €2m restoration of Beauvais cathedral to the construction of a naval surveillance ship in Nantes.