Paris (AFP)

From the reform of the public prosecutor's office to the conditions of detention of prisoners, including the juvenile justice system: the projects are numerous and difficult for the new minister and ex-lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti who promises "justice closer to the citizens".

- The reform of the prosecution

"I want to move forward on a project that is close to my heart: the independence of the judiciary. I want to be the Keeper of the Seals who will finally bring the long-awaited parquet floor reform to a conference," said Éric Dupond-Moretti during of the transfer of powers with Nicole Belloubet. He spoke of "reshaping the 1958 ordinance" on the status of the judiciary.

The reform of the prosecution, claimed loudly by magistrates and lawyers, is a sea serpent. Emmanuel Macron had announced a reform providing that prosecutors are appointed, like judges, on "assent" of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM ), an independent body. But this reform, which presupposes a constitutional revision, has been postponed indefinitely.

- The implementation of the vast and disputed Belloubet reform

Nicole Belloubet left the Chancellery having managed to impose a vast and contested reform of the justice system. Éric Dupond-Moretti will be in charge of its application. However, he was strongly opposed to flagship measures such as the departmental criminal courts, to try crimes punished with 15 to 20 years in prison instead of assizes. "It is the death of the assize court", had denounced the lawyer who won dozens of acquittals before popular juries.

The new minister wants to resume penal reform of the juvenile justice which he considers "absolutely essential". This reform has been postponed for several months due to the health crisis.

- Prisons

For his first trip, the Keeper of the Seals went to Fresnes prison on Tuesday evening. He welcomed "historically low" occupancy rates and called for "continuing" on this path.

Nicole Belloubet had invited him to seize a "historic opportunity": the coronavirus crisis led to a fall of 13,000 prisoners. Ms. Belloubet has indeed released thousands of prisoners at the end of their sentence to avoid a health crisis in prisons, overcrowded for decades. The prison occupancy rate fell below 100%.

Will Eric Dupond-Moretti manage to maintain this level of prison population?

A new sentence scale, which aims in particular to limit short prison terms, came into force in March.

- Pension reform

The pension reform sparked an unprecedented protest movement by lawyers at the start of the year: two months of hard strike, thousands of adjourned hearings added to the congestion in the courts.

According to this reform, lawyers, who contribute to an autonomous fund, must be integrated into the universal system. The lawyer Eric Dupond-Moretti took sides for his colleagues.

But Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that he wanted to settle the pensions issue "in the short term". How will the Minister of Justice be positioned between his new colleagues on the executive and his former lawyer colleagues?

- Information feedback

"Methods of barbouzes!": At the end of June, Eric Dupond-Moretti became angry with the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) who scanned his detailed telephone bills in an attempt to identify a "mole" in the so-called "eavesdropping" affair "targeting Nicolas Sarkozy. After his appointment to the Chancellery, however, he withdrew his complaint.

However, the inspection requested by Nicole Belloubet on this PNF investigation should land ... on the desk of Eric Dupond-Moretti.

Similarly, there is the question of feedback to the Chancellery. The Syndicat de la magistrature (SM, left) is asking the Keeper of the Seals to put an end to the feedback to the Minister of Justice on pending proceedings, highlighting his status as a former lawyer. "You were involved in a number of the most sensitive cases reported to the Chancellery until yesterday," said the union.

© 2020 AFP