By way of comparison...
I found this article about the economy in France. Things aren't much better in Germany, and the recession in Japan has dragged on for the better part of a decade.
Chirac spoke after the French national statistics agency on Wednesday announced a slight decrease in the jobless rate, from 9.7 percent in October to 9.6 percent in November. The news suggested that France's recovery remains on track after a third-quarter pickup.
Chirac thanked the French for helping bring growth in 2003. Gross domestic product in 2003 was expected to reach a modest 0.2 percent expansion.