Paris- In its new annual report, the Audit Bureau revealed in more than 70 pages aspects of spending in the presidential palace. The Elyseewhich is the subject of many questions, especially the unprecedented increase in presidential expenses, which reached 125.5 million euros ($136.98 million) in 2023, resulting in a deficit of 8.3 million euros, in contrast to the previous fiscal year, which witnessed a surplus of 300 thousand euros ($327 thousand).
As in every year since 2009, the council has been sneaking behind the scenes of the presidential palace to delve into its spending, audit accounts and manage interests.
While the latest report stressed the “deterioration of the financial situation of the presidency’s departments,” it called at the same time for the need to “continue efforts” to restore and maintain financial balance.
The bulk of the deficit is due to receptions and trips made by the French President. Emmanuel Macronwhich amounted to 112 times, 69 of which were by plane, especially abroad.
Millions of parties
Receptions hosted by the Elysee Palace have ballooned bills estimated at €4 million ($4.37 million) in 2023 with 171 receptions at a cost of €35 ($39) per guest, compared to €29 ($32) in 2022.
The official dinner is held in honor of the King. Britain Charles III Topping the list of the most expensive banquets, at €475,000 ($519,000), featuring royal decor, the finest wines and lobster dishes, is a gala honoring the Indian Prime Minister. Narendra Modi At the Louvre Museum on July 15, 2023, which cost the presidential palace 412,000 euros ($450,000).
During the evening in which the British monarch was hosted at the Palace of Versailles last September, the Presidency of the Republic outsourced all services, including hiring “extras” for service for 100,000 euros ($110,000), catering by celebrity chefs instead of the Elysee kitchens at a cost of more than 42,000 euros ($45,000), in addition to fine wines that reached 42,000 euros ($45,000).
The council’s report also noted the cancellation fees for Charles III’s first visit, which was postponed due to protests in France against pension reform, amounting to 80,000 euros ($88,000), in addition to other expenses required by the official protocol of the state visit, which lasted 3 days.
Another budget drain is the cost of organising receptions, with the annual budget reaching 31 million euros ($34 million), a 45% increase in one year.
expensive trips
Financial judges have criticised the sharp rise in the president’s expenses, which burdens taxpayers. Taxesespecially the marked increase in spending related to Macron’s trips, as presidential travel costs rose by 7% over one year to 23.2 million euros ($25.5 million).
In a quick comparison between Macron and the former president Francois HollandeThe Court of Auditors explains that Hollande traveled 142 times during the last year of his term in 2016, with a total budget of 17.7 million euros ($20 million), meaning the average cost of a presidential trip rose from 125,000 euros ($137,000) to 207,000 euros ($226,000) over 7 years.
French President Macron visited China andOceania andJapan To attend the summit Group of SevenandIndia To attend the summit G20andMongoliaandBangladesh.
The trip to Oceania was the most expensive, at €3.1 million ($3.4 million), followed by his tour of Africa at €1.9 million ($2.1 million), and then China at €1.8 million ($2 million).
The Court of Auditors considers Macron’s domestic trips to be “particularly expensive,” pointing to the three days the president spent in Marseille at the end of June, which cost more than 243,000 euros ($265,000), his trip to Corsica in September, which cost 278,000 euros ($304,000), and his visit to Airbus’s headquarters in Toulouse in December, which cost 205,000 euros ($224,000).
presidential inflation
The financial judges called for the need to “increase vigilance” starting this year and to confront the “internal factors” that led to “this slippage” linked in part to the decisions taken by the Elysée.
They added that “if there are several external factors that explain this unexpected level of expenditure, then internal factors must also be taken into account.”
The increase in cancellations of presidential trips has also led to an increase in the presidential palace’s bill, against the backdrop of the protests that the country has witnessed at several times, especially regarding the government’s project to amend the retirement system.
In detail, the Audit Bureau indicated that cancelling Macron’s trip to Germany in July 2023 cost the state 492,000 euros (537,000 euros), while losses from cancelling the visit to Sweden in February exceeded 180,000 euros (197,000 dollars).
To avoid these additional costs, the council recommended limiting the size of delegations abroad, better organizing the presidential agenda, and taking into account “internal organizational problems,” as 12 last-minute cancellations of flights last year caused a total loss of 832,000 euros ($910,000) due to non-payment of hotel and air tickets.
In response to the report’s figures, which sparked a wave of anger in the French street, the Elysee denied this deficit in a press statement, justifying it by saying that the budget is “in balance”, and the gap “was filled with the funds available to the presidency”, and that it relied on its reserves to cover expenses.
