This book is a journey through the personal history of the author and the public accounts of the French state. First of all, we follow the young “centralien” as he integrates into the ENA and discovers, throughout his many training courses, the (dys)functions, the mysteries, and the conflicts of different public services and field administrations.
Then, through these 32 years spent in the service of the republic, firstly, at the forecasting department of the Ministry of Finance, we learn, among other things, how the Ministry of Finance works, how budget forecasts are made, international exchange relations, and the lack of cooperation and coordination between the different departments of the ministry. But also, since we have the chance to (re)live the 80s/90s with François Ecalle, we follow him during the price liberalization, the preparation of the euro and the European budgetary rules as well as the difficult opening of services to competition.
Then, at the Court of Auditors, we control the banking sector and we discover, at the Banque de France, an accounting system that is heterogeneous to say the least, but also very special accounts and secret state loans, accounting and tax treatments of certain equity investments in BNP and Banexi whose legal exemplarity is not obvious. After the banking sector, the journey continues in public companies in the world of transport and agriculture. We are stunned by the irregularities, the favors obtained, the bad choices, the waste, the absurd reforms, and the calamitous management.
Some of the recommendations proposed during the audits have been implemented, but these decisions have been slow to take and sometimes thwarted or canceled by other reforms. It is striking to note the permanence over time of fiscal, economic, financial, and political problems and the measures that should be taken to solve them. The observations and diagnoses on social VAT, pensions, employment policy, sectoral policies such as industry, housing, agriculture, etc., and the recommendations proposed thirty years ago are still relevant today.
But all is well, the Court of Auditors continues to publish reports that remain a dead letter, the Treasury Department continues to write to its minister that the public deficits included in the Finance Act are unattainable without recovery of the accounts, the state continues to let its deficit and debt spiral, and the French continue to ask the state for everything. Be careful, however, not to lose our sovereignty through the actions of certain foreign actors…
François Ecalle est conseiller maître honoraire à la cours des comptes et président de Fipeco, l’association Finances publiques et économie
Ph Alezard
