“They were caught hand in the jam jar”

“I think they got caught in the jam jar (…) France is run like a business. It’s the “start-up nation“”, estimates Éliane Assassi the rapporteur of the commission of inquiry. In 2021, the State spent more than one billion euros on advisory missions. It is the revelation of the report of a senatorial commission of inquiry which denounces the growing influence of private firms on public policies. He even speaks of a “sprawling phenomenon.”

Pension reform, vaccination strategy, education or the reform of APL, these are some of the missions for which private consulting firms have been called upon by the State. “Macron says that the use of cabinets has fallen by 15%, which is false, since the Prime Minister’s circular dated January 19, 2022, it is not binding, it recommends reducing the use of cabinets by 15%“, explains Éliane Assass. The other revelation of the Senate report is that the McKinsey firm has not paid its taxes in France for 10 years.