“France is the country with the highest public expenditure in the EU”

2023-04-20 13:00:00

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INTERVIEW. Our country spends more than its European neighbors for public services which are not of a better level, notes the expert François Ecalle.

Par Francois Miguet

Paradoxically, France is the European country with the highest public health spending, while the sector is suffering.
© RICCARDO MILANI / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP

Published on 04/20/2023 at 1:00 p.m.

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LFrench public expenditure corresponds to 58.1% of GDP, compared to 51.6% for the average of the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU). In theory, this gap should provide citizens of France with better services in terms of health, education or housing than in our neighbours. However, if we are to believe the comparative studies, it is quite the opposite. Worse, our public services would tend to deteriorate. How to explain this paradox ? Analysis by François Ecalle, former magistrate of the Court of Auditors and founder of Fipeco, the reference site for monitoring public finances.

Point : In one of your last notes, you compare the costs of French public policies as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) with our neighbours…