France: the Senate denounces excessive use of consulting firms by the State
The French Senate has criticized the government's extensive use of consulting firms during the Covid-19 crisis.
© ALAIN JOCARD/AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
In France, Emmanuel Macron is called to account after the publication of a vitriolic report by a Senate commission of inquiry.
He denounces the ever greater recourse by the State to private firms to carry out its missions.
The senators reveal a “
sprawling phenomenon
”, more and more costly for the State.
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The Ministry of Health is on a drip: 41 million euros.
This is the bill paid by the State to consulting firms during the health crisis.
Senator Eliane Assassi is co-rapporteur of the commission of inquiry: “
McKinsey is the keystone of the vaccine campaign.
Citwell is the logician of masks and resuscitation drugs.
Accenture is the architect of the health pass.
The cabinets have been dearly present throughout the health crisis.
»
All ministries are concerned, reports
Anthony Lattier
, of the political service.
Calling on private consultants has become systematic, denounces the senator: “
The State sometimes gives the feeling that it no longer knows how to do it.
And that he calls on consultants by reflex, including for basic services.
This choice has a financial cost for the administration, estimated at around 1 billion euros in 2021, which is twice as much as in 2018.
Suspicion of perjury at McKinsey
For the senators, “
it is time for the public authorities to take back control of its public policies
”.
The commission also reveals that the McKinsey firm has not paid corporation tax for 10 years, while one of its leaders had affirmed the opposite under oath during his hearing.
The public prosecutor will be seized on suspicion of false testimony.
When I regularly say that with Emmanuel Macron it is the lobbies, including foreign lobbies, which make French public policies, it is unfortunately confirmed.
However, we have a senior civil service capable of thinking about public policies, but the government has always favored spending public money for consulting firms over the heart of our public policies.
Yannick Jadot (EELV candidate): “We have a total drift on the part of consulting firms”
Aurelien Devernoix
►Also read: Guest France - McKinsey controversy: “should a ministry use a consulting firm in crisis management?
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