From November 7 at 8am, Bercy’s former tenant will appear before the Upper House Finance Committee, followed by former Public Accounts Minister Thomas Cazenave at 3.30pm. Gabriel Atal will be heard the following day at 9am, while Elizabeth Bourne will appear on November 15 at 3pm.
“Dishonesty” and “opacity”
These hearings are being held as part of an information mission by the Senate on the deterioration of public finances from 2023 and its monitoring by the government and administration. Launched in March 2024, it had already presented a first report, but was reactivated at the start of the academic year in the face of new data on the public deficit, which could exceed 6% of GDP in 2024.
The Senate, whose right-wing and center-right majority was in opposition until the appointment of Michel Barnier as Matignon, has been very offended in recent years against Bercy and Bruno Le Maire, regularly accused of “dishonesty” and “opacity” in relation to Parliament.