2023-09-01 19:31:39
A “classic control”. The Court of Auditors opened an investigation into French consulates in May, the conclusions of which are however not expected before 2024, AFP learned on Friday, confirming information from the media. The letter a.
According to an article published at the end of August by Letter A, a questionnaire was sent by the magistrates of rue Cambon to 14 French consulates including those in London, Washington, Rome and Moscow. “This is a classic control of the Court of Auditors, as part of its missions to control public spending”, reacted the Quai d’Orsay.
Expenses of consulates
“This relates to the missions, the organization, the means, the questions of efficiency and effectiveness of the consular services rendered to the French people abroad”, continued the ministry, adding that the organization would in particular control the supply of administrative services, the safety of French nationals abroad and the reception of users.
The Court of Auditors would seek in particular to find out about “the deadlines for issuing identity papers and the evaluation of the quality of the services rendered” in these consulates, had indicated Letter A. It “also sifts through the posts of expenses of the consulates”, she adds, before specifying that “the cost of the organization of the elections as well as the subsidies granted to associations are in the viewfinder” of the Court.
No publication before 2024
“Particular attention is paid to social aid and school grants, but also to the means implemented to fight against possible fraud”, continues Letter A. Questioned by AFP, the Court of Auditors confirmed that “a survey of consulates began in May 2023”. However, it did not detail its precise content.
In the event that this investigation leads to a report by the Court of Auditors, “no publication is envisaged before 2024”, insists the same source. “At this stage, no conclusion can be drawn from this investigation, which has not been completed or contradicted” by the consulates concerned, concludes the Court.
The financial magistrates have already published in 2013 a report on “the evolution of the missions and organization of French consulates abroad”. Among the 20 recommendations made at the time was the idea of ”strengthening the rationalization of the consular network in countries where the economic and security conditions are comparable to those of France, particularly in Europe”, but also to reduce the administrative burden on consulates.
The Quai d’Orsay for its part underlined that “during its previous checks, and in particular in its report on the evolution of the missions and organization of French consulates in 2013, the Court underlined the very wide range of consular services offered to French nationals residing abroad, more extensive than that of countries with a comparable diplomatic network”. “The dematerialization of certain procedures and Internet voting, recommendations of the Court, have since been put in place” by the ministry, we add.
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