“What we did during the five-year term, nobody did it” before, defends Éric Dupond-Moretti

Slightly more than half of French people believe that the security situation has worsened in five years, according to a Ipsos Sopra-Steria survey for France Télévisions and Radio France, published on Thursday 17 February. However, Eric Dupont-Moretti “defends its record” on franceinfo. “During the five-year term, we hired 698 magistrates. No one has ever done that before us”, supports the Minister of Justice. Éric Dupont-Moretti still lists the hiring of “850 clerks and in the penitentiary 3,000 agents”.

“48% of French people do not say” that the situation has worsened, underlines Éric Dupond-Moretti. “It is not today that there is this feeling of insecurity. It does not prevent me from working. In this survey, the French say – at 91% – that it is necessary to increase the means justice, that’s what we did”says the Keeper of the Seals.

However, magistrates have been denouncing their working conditions for months and are demanding 35% more judges for the courts to function normally. Two unions and two associations of magistrates even filed a complaint against France in early February to the European Union to denounce the “permanent violation of working time rules in their profession.“

“Yes, we still need to hire magistrates and moreover, the next promotion of the National School of Magistracy will be the largest in the history of this school. But there are still things to do”he admitted. “Do you think that a snap of your fingers is enough to solve all the problems?”gets carried away Éric Dupond-Moretti. “The magistrates’ unions can say a certain number of things, they are in their role, it is very legitimate. And then we are in the presidential campaign, look at the figures proposed by the candidates, they are well beyond what propose the magistrates themselves. You have to be serious”launches the Minister of Justice.