What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Changed:• 03/06/2020: FirstInaugural President of the French Court of Auditors

Changed:As Firstthe first ever President of the French Court of Auditors, where I have served since 2020, I command a multifaceted national audit institution. Working on behalf of the French Government, local authorities and the social security system, the Court is responsible for auditing public accounts and for ensuring that public administration is effective and properly managed. I also sought to move the Court towards appraising public policy. It now publishes some 180 reports every year, including an annual report on a specific topic and other reports compiled at the French Parliament’s behest. The Court also has a certain jurisdictional authority, with public officials in France accountable to it.

Changed:During my time as Economics and Finance Minister in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, I helped to usher in banking reforms and set up the French Public Investment Bank and High Council of Public Finance. This latter institution, which I now chair in my capacity as Firstthe inaugural President of the French Court of Auditors, seeks to analyse the credibility of the government’s budget forecasts, and to keep the French Parliament and public informed accordingly.

Changed:As Firstthe first ever President of the French Court of Auditors, I have overseen a comprehensive overhaul of the financial courts, which helped to modernise the Court’s working methods, bolster recruitment there and engender a greater appreciation for its work, while bringing it closer to the general public

Changed:I exercised my duties as an MEP alongside parliamentarians from the rest of the EU. This experience enabled me to gainedgain a deeper understanding of the inner workings behind interparliamentary cooperation and to hone my ability to play an effective part in discussions with counterparts from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

Changed:I was elected to public office a number of times between 1984 and 2011, both at a local (general councillor, regional councillor, chair of an agglomeration community) and national (member of the National Assembly) level. I have also served as a minister, having been recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the president, and as a European commissioner. Then, in June 2020, I was made Firstthe first ever President of the French Court of Auditors, having been appointed by the French President acting within the Council of Ministers.

Changed:Since becoming Firstthe first ever President of the French Court of Auditors in June 2020, I have discharged my duties completely autonomously of both the executive and the legislative branch. This experience has cemented my belief that independence is a sine qua non for ensuring that the Court’s work is credible, transparent and effective.

Changed:I have been out of politics since 2014. As Firstthe first ever President of the French Court of Auditors, I am bound by a duty of impartiality and neutrality, which I have strictly heeded. I would continue to be politically neutral as a Member of the ECA.

Changed:As Firstthe first ever President of the French Court of Auditors, I have had the chance to ramp up cooperation with the French Parliament, including its committees responsible for budgetary control. This experience has convinced me that systematic and regular dialogue between the Court and Parliament is a key lever for enhancing public oversight of general spending and the value for money delivered by public policy. Having already served as a member of parliament, I am particularly mindful of this issue, and believe that it is crucial for ensuring that parliamentarians are properly informed and for engendering public trust in the institutions.

Changed:Performance auditing is an essential part of public finance oversight. It is about ensuring not only legal and financial compliance, but also the efficiency and effectiveness of public policymaking. This approach makes it possible to assess the extent to which the resources deployed have enabled a desired objective to be achieved, and to identify areas for improvement with a view to optimising governance. This is something I am particularly mindful of. As Firstthe first ever President of the French Court of Auditors, I have sought to develop public policy as an area of particular focus for French financial courts. What is more, when I was European commissioner, I was responsible for a number of departments in EU public administration, and therefore understood the value of performance auditing in delivering constant improvements to practices and processes.