Paris.- The French Court of Auditors will have a woman in its presidency for the first time since its creation in 1807: the current Minister of Finance, Amélie de Montchalin, informed this Wednesday the Government spokeswoman, Maud Bregeon, after the meeting of the Council of Ministers.
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The decision by French President, Emmanuel Macron, to appoint De Montchalin has drawn strong criticism due to doubts about her future impartiality and potential conflicts of interest, as she will have to decide on the public deficit and budgetary decisions of the government of which she is now a part. The government spokesperson defended, however, that the appointment “does not constitute a conflict of interest”, since “the inherent structure of the Court of Auditors, based mainly on collegiate decisions, reinforces its independence”. Once at the head of the Court of Auditors, the current Minister of Public Action and Accounts will have a voice and a vote not only in the budgets that this same economist helped to approve, but also in the policies she promoted in the Ministry of Economy and Finance and in her previous ministerial positions. Amélie de Montchalin, a faithful Macron supporter, “has shown that she works solely for the State and not for partisan interests,” the spokesperson emphasized, in response to the criticisms. The appointment of the president of the Court of Auditors, which does not require parliamentary approval, is the exclusive prerogative of the head of state. De Montchalin, in any case, must quickly comply with certain ethical standards. After taking office on February 23, she will have two months to submit a declaration of interests. The Court of Auditors’ ethics committee will then issue recommendations. In the case of De Montchalin, several recusals are expected given his current position in the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Court of Auditors, created in September 1807 by Napoleon I, had never before had a woman at its head. It is based in the Cambon Palace, near the Place de la Concorde in Paris. With its annexes, this complex currently houses more than 780 people, including judges, officials and contracted employees.
