PARIS, July 30 (Reuters) - The French economy grew 0.9% in the second quarter from the previous quarter, an initial forecast by the national statistics office showed, slightly beating forecasts as the euro zone’s second-biggest economy emerged from a lockdown to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The 0.9% growth compared to no growth in the first quarter, said the INSEE statistics office. A poll of 29 analysts had given a mean forecast for growth of 0.8%. President Emmanuel Macron ordered France to enter into its third, national lockdown on March 31, and the country gradually started to ease restrictions from May onwards, with many shops, restaurants and businesses re-opening. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Myriam Rivet; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.