The Court of Auditors threatens to now not certify the state funds if it isn’t listened to extra | EUROtoday

While “For the 19th^e consecutive year, State accounts are unable to be certified without very significant reservations ”the Court of Auditors could refuse to certify the state accounts if its recommendations are not better listened to, warned, Wednesday, April 16, its first president, Pierre Moscovici. However, the latter estimated that the 2025 budget promised to be better than that of 2024.

“I want to share with you, not of my unhealthy temper, however of my very unhealthy temper with regard to the implications – or somewhat the systematic absence of penalties – that are given to the act of certification that we publish yearly”launched Mr. Moscovici to the press in the National Assembly, then during his hearing before the Finance Committee, by presenting various documents including the certification of the State accounts for 2024.

“I think about the state of affairs of a enterprise” where the auditor “Would certify the accounts with giant reservations or wouldn’t certify them, and the place the board of administrators would say” we don’t care “: the state does that, social safety does that”he said. Believing that “The reserves made by the Court can’t be taken evenly or disputed”he judged that they should, “On the opposite, be the topic of all the eye of the administration to make them disappear”.

Before asserting that“In the absence of great progress in 2025, the Court could possibly be delivered to (…) Do not certify the accounts “as he wrote in this sense this week at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. His hearing was held as the Ministers of Economy and Public Accounts presented their budgetary trajectory on Wednesday in the Council of Ministers, very slightly adjusted compared to October, in particular on growth, always with the objective of bringing the public deficit within 3 % in 2029.

“Erratic administration” of the 2024 budget

After 5.8 % of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, the government intends to reduce the deficit to 5.4 % this year at the cost of a budgetary effort by around fifty billion euros, then to 4.6 % in 2026 thanks to a new effort quoted at around 40 billion euros, which is essentially based on a reduction in expenses. For these two years, it is a slight adjustment compared to projections of 4.0 % and 3.3 % respectively which appeared in the budgetary trajectory of France transmitted in October by the previous government to the European Commission.

Currently the highest in the euro zone, the deficit would continue to then reflect, at 4.1 % of GDP in 2027 and 3.4 % in 2028, according to the budgetary and structural plan in the medium term (PSMT) whose main figures were released Tuesday during a press conference by the Prime Minister. François Bayrou warned the French against the “Dangerous entice” debt and announced that he wanted to give the main orientations of the 2026 budget “Before July 14”.

On Wednesday, the first president of the Court, also had very harsh words again about the 2024 budget, concocted in the fall of 2023 with forecasts which proved to be too optimistic by teams then led by former Minister Bruno Le Maire – notably a public deficit announced at 4.4 % of GDP which dubbed 5.8 %.

Regretting that there was no amending finance law at the beginning of 2024, to take into account slippages already noted in 2023, Pierre Moscovici denounced “Erratic administration, visionary administration, succession of postpones, gels, surgels, planer strokes” Last year.

On 2025, “It’s slightly higher, it should be acknowledged”even if “We additionally observe both gentle optimistic biases, or dangers that aren’t solely evaluated”judged Mr. Moscovici. ” Neverthelesshe greeted, Growth forecast [actuelle] at 0.7 % is just not out of attain, even when the dangers linked to worldwide financial situations and geopolitical uncertainty are excessive. »»