LONDON — European stocks started the new trading week on a positive note, as market focus turns to France's imminent confidence due to take place later in the session.

The U.K.'s FTSE index rose just 0.03%, outpaced by Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 , both up by around 0.6%.

Investors are keeping a close eye on France on Monday, as French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is widely expected to lose a confidence vote . Bayrou called for the vote himself after ongoing wrangling with rival political parties over around 44 billion euros ($51.5 billion) worth of budget cuts.

Bayrou's aim was to bring France's budget deficit down to 4.6% in 2026 — a level still well above the European Union's deficit rules — but opposition parties have objected to spending cuts

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