The French economy grew by an above forecast 0.6 per cent in the first three months of 2008, powered by a surge in exports, proving the resilience so far of the eurozone’s second largest economy in the face of a global slowdown.

France’s rate of growth in the first quarter was twice the 0.3 per cent recorded for the last three months of 2007 and well above economists’ consensus forecasts of 0.4 per cent, according to official figures published on Thursday.