Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Professional experience:

1. Please list your professional experience in public finance be it in budgetary planning, budget implementation or management or budget control or auditing.

My entire career has revolved around public finances and Europe. After graduating from France’s School of Public Administration, I began working as an auditor at the French Court of Auditors.

I spent six years in the civil service as a budgetary advisor to the Minister for Education and as Head of Finance at the General Planning Commission. I was then elected as an MEP and served on Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.

After a stint as French Minister for European affairs between 1997 and 2002, I re-entered the European Parliament as an MEP in 2004, serving as Vice-President and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. In 2007, I was re-elected as a member of the French National Assembly. I became a member of the Finance Committee and was entrusted with scrutinising the national budget.

Between 2012 and 2024, I returned to the government as Minister for Economic Affairs and Finance. During that time, I was at the helm of France’s economic policy, overseeing the preparation, implementation and audit of the national budget in the aftermath of the economic crisis and Greek debt crisis. I worked to bring the public deficit under control and to enact structural reforms to ensure that the public finances were sustainable.

As European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs between 2014 and 2019, I was responsible for scrutinising the Member States’ budgets and for ensuring compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact. This experience required in-depth expertise, not only with auditing and scrutinising the public finances of the Member States, but also coordinating economic and fiscal policies.

During that time, I represented my country at numerous international financial forums, including the G7 and G20 finance summits and meetings of the International Monetary Fund.

Then, as European commissioner, I implemented policies and coordinated work in a multicultural, multilingual and interinstitutional environment. In that connection, I worked closely with national governments, other European commissioners, Parliament and the Council, most notably during the sovereign debt crisis.

Since 2020, I have continued to operate in the global sphere, carrying out audit work on behalf of the French Court of Auditors for a number of international organisations, including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the World Trade Organization and, as of 2025, the International Organization for Migration. I have also chaired the UN Board of Auditors since early 2025. These endeavours have seen me work with institutions outside France, including partners from different administrative and legal traditions.

4. Have you been granted discharge for the management duties you carried out previously, if such a procedure applies?

Not applicable.

5. Which of your previous professional positions were a result of a political nomination?

6. What are the three most important decisions to which you have been party in your professional life?

If I had to choose three important decisions that have shaped my professional life, they would be:

- Taking part in EU accession negotiations

Both as French European Affairs Minister and as an MEP, I was involved in the negotiations that culminated in 12 Central and Eastern European countries joining the EU in 2004 and 2007. It had always been my conviction that Europe was the sum of its Member States and that, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it had to expand to take on countries that formed an integral part of the continent and the European project. I pushed for an open and rigorous process, which had to include putting EU law on the statute book and meeting the Copenhagen criteria. In that context, I had the opportunity to visit all of the prospective Central and Eastern European Member States on a number of occasions, which reconciled me to the view that a ‘greater Europe’ would be a force to be reckoned with.

3. Supporting Greece during the euro area crisis

As European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, I was directly involved in the negotiations to stop Greece crashing out of the euro area. This marked an extremely important moment not only in my own career, but also – I firmly believe – in the recent history of European integration. With Greece close to defaulting on its debt, Europe was deeply divided on what to do, while trust among the public was wavering. I worked to ensure that Athens and the EU institutions continued to engage in discussions and to consolidate the status of the euro. Thanks to the agreement brokered in summer 2015, Greece managed to exit from its economic adjustment programme, helping it to stave off economic collapse and preserving the vital unity of the euro area. With Greece now back on the path to economic growth, I believe that the stance Europe took then, aided in part by my own mediation alongside Jean-Claude Juncker, is one of the proudest achievements of my life.

3. Transforming the French Court of Auditors

Since 2020, I have exercised an independent mandate as President of the French Court of Auditors. After I took over, I embarked on an ambitious project to overhaul the institution to make it more accessible and transparent and to revamp the management structure. Not only did I bring in proper public policy assessments on the basis of a specific methodology, I also pushed for all of the Court’s reports to be made public (as of 2023), for the annual report to be published on a specific topic, and for the Court to occupy a central position in the public debate, not least on issues surrounding public finances.

Independence

7. The Treaty stipulates that the Members of the Court of Auditors must be 'completely independent' in the performance of their duties. How would you act on this obligation in the discharge of your prospective duties?

Above all, this means not taking orders, directives or instructions from authorities in the political, administrative or private spheres. Being able to act and to think freely must also apply to the ways in which audits are planned and carried out and reports are compiled and published, without interference or external pressure. I will be committed to being completely independent in my duties, while scrupulously adhering to the professional, ethical and procedural standards incumbent upon ECA Members.

All that being said, an independent institution need not mean a remote one. After all, under the Treaties, the ECA is required to work closely with other EU institutions, including the Commission, the Council, Parliament and the supreme audit institutions of the Member States. This cooperation, which is underpinned by constructive dialogue and an open exchange of information, is crucial for improving how audits are carried out and making them more effective. To this end, I will be able to draw on my experience at the French Court of Auditors which, by providing independent support to the constitutional powers, navigates a middle ground between the government and the parliament.

I will ensure that such cooperation is undertaken with the utmost regard for the fundamental principle of independence, and will not allow external influences to affect my impartiality or freedom of analysis. In my view, reconciling independence and cooperation is the key to maintaining the trust of both Europeans and the institutions in the fundamental role played by the ECA.

Finally, I believe that respecting the ECA’s independence means making an enduring commitment to integrity, professional ethics and transparency before the public.

8. Do you or your close relatives (parents, brothers and sisters, legal partner and children) have any business or financial holdings or any other commitments, which might conflict with your prospective duties?

I have no business or financial holdings, nor any other commitments liable to pose such risks. My brother has sole proprietorship of a property advisory firm.

9. Are you prepared to disclose all your financial interests and other commitments to the President of the Court and to make them public?

Yes, of course. I also did this for my roles at Parliament, the French Government and the Commission.

10. Are you involved in any current legal proceedings? If so, please provide us with details.

No.

11. Do you have any active or executive role in politics? If so, at what level? Have you held any political position during the last 18 months? If so, please provide us with details.

12. Will you step down from any elected office or give up any active function with responsibilities in a political party if you are appointed as a Member of the Court?

I am not in elected office and no longer a member of a political party.

13. How would you deal with a major irregularity or even fraud in EU funds and/or corruption case involving persons in your Member State of origin?

My approach to an irregularity or case of fraud or corruption would be consistent, regardless of whether it involved a person in France or not. All EU citizens, irrespective of their origin or nationality, are accountable to the same legal and ethical standards. During my time at the Commission, I was a bona fide European commissioner – not the Commissioner for France – and my work was rooted in the general European interest.

I will ensure that each case is handled with the utmost impartiality, on the basis of the facts and with regard for due process, eschewing any special protection or treatment on the basis of nationality. The ECA’s credibility and integrity hinges on equal treatment and absolute impartiality.

Performance of duties

14. What should be the main features of a sound financial management culture in any public service? How could the ECA help to enforce it?

Speaking from the benefit of my experience at various French and EU institutions, I believe that public services cannot function effectively without adroit and meticulous financial management. Sound financial management is not only a crucial lever for effective public policy, it is also vital for ensuring that people continue to trust national governments and EU institutions in the context of such action.

To that end, I believe that a number of steps should be taken:

3. providing predictability for expenditure and the resources required, so that a balance may consistently be struck between objectives and the measures taken to achieve them. This requires clear and pragmatic budget planning based on reliable data and calculated assumptions;

3. implementing the budget in accordance with legal, regulatory and budgetary requirements, in a rigorous, transparent and accountable manner. Every stage of the public spending process must be duly justified and substantiated so that managers may be held accountable and audits carried out to good effect;

3. carrying out ex post assessments to ascertain legal and financial compliance and ensure that spending is truly effective. It is essential to evaluate the extent to which allocated funding has enabled the desired results to be achieved and the needs of public services to be genuinely met. Such an assessment is an invaluable tool for guiding future decisions and improving governance.