"This budget is a historic budget. France has not had a budget of this nature for its justice for over twenty-five years."

The words of the Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, pronounced Friday, September 25 on RTL, to qualify the 8% increase in his budget, announced the day before by the Prime Minister, reflect his satisfaction.

He who often denounced the lack of means of justice, when he was a lawyer, is now optimistic.

In 2020, the justice budget was 7.5 billion euros, already up 4% compared to 2019. With this new increase of 8%, it should therefore reach 8.2 billion euros in 2021 .

Prime Minister @JeanCASTEX announced it, the justice budget will increase next year by + 8%.



France, for its justice, has not had a budget of this nature for over 25 years.

pic.twitter.com/1wSn0FNSs8

- Eric Dupond-Moretti (@E_DupondM) September 25, 2020

Something to satisfy the magistrates, lawyers, clerks and all the little hands who keep the judicial machine running on a daily basis and who have long called for the creation of positions in particular?

Not so sure…

"Every year, we are told that it is exceptional and in the end it is not," tackle Nils Monsarrat, national secretary of the Syndicat de la magistrature (SM), contacted by France 24.

"These are announcement effects, as usual", abounds Isabelle Besnier-Houben, general secretary of the Syndicate of registry offices of France-FO, contacted by France 24. "But the reality is that there is always planer blows which are carried out behind. "

"This government is communicating with an announcement which remains rather vague", judge for his part Cyril Papon, secretary general CGT of Chanceries and judicial services, contacted by France 24. "The question is to know where this money will go."

A shortfall of 200 million in the 2020 budget

In fact, increasing the justice budget does not necessarily mean improving the working conditions of its officials.

Five programs receive funding from the ministry: the prison administration, the conduct and management of justice policy, the high council of the judiciary, judicial justice and judicial protection of young people.

But the bulk of the budget is absorbed each year by the prison administration for the construction and renovation of prisons.

"I have heard about a budget increase since the Taubira years, underlines Cyril Papon, of the CGT Chancelleries and judicial services. But for example, under the Holland five-year term, the operating budget of the Paris court fell by 13% then that the overall justice budget was increasing. "

The second concern of legal professionals relates to the sustainability of announcements.

The programming law for the years 2018-2022 thus provided for a continuous increase in the budget from 7 billion euros in 2018 to 8.3 billion in 2022. However, the budget for the current year was ultimately less than announced - 7.5 billion euros instead of the planned 7.7 billion.

"The programming law was not respected, therefore the increase announced by Jean Castex could only be a catch-up", worries Nils Monsarrat, of the Syndicate of the magistracy.

Who will be the "fast sugars" of Justice?

The Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, estimated, Friday morning on RTL, that this increase should allow the hiring of 2,450 staff by the end of 2021 and unlock the immediate employment of "950 staff, who will come into play early next year ".

The Keeper of the Seals nicknamed these future personnel "fast sugars".

“But what type of job is it?” Asks Isabelle Besnier-Houben, from the Syndicate of Registry of France.

"Will they be contract workers? Temporary contractors? Transformations from category C agents to category B? If it is not a question of net hiring, it is placebo, personnel who will not be tenured and that we can remove in a few years. "

Finally, the Syndicat de la magistrature notes that the government's desire to speed up the execution of sentences is commendable but not necessarily feasible.

Éric Dupond-Moretti took the example of community service (TIG), which can now "be carried out overnight".

"We are doubtful about that, judge Nils Monsarrat. Setting up a TIG takes time because it also depends on local communities and companies, it is impossible that it can be done in a snap."

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