François Bayrou has been High Commissioner for Planning for 4 years: what is the assessment?

The evening of his appointment to Matignon, François Bayrou declared that “ no more than [lui] did not understand the seriousness of the situation “. What allowed him to deliver this sentence with modesty? His superiority complex? His long political experience? Perhaps, but also the last position he held until the day before his appointment. Indeed, from 2020 to 2024 – a real lease – he was High Commissioner for Planning. And, therefore charged, according to the official mission, “ to lead and coordinate the planning and prospective thinking work carried out on behalf of the State and to inform the choices of public authorities with regard to demographic, economic, social, environmental, health, technological and cultural issues “. A privileged observatory, therefore, for the new Prime Minister. What conclusions can be drawn from this four-year mandate? Does Bayrou, High Commissioner for Planning, suggest a high-flying Bayrou head of government?

A damning Senate report

A senatorial report written by the senator (RN) of Pas-de-Calais, Christopher Szczurek, submitted last September and whose conclusions were adopted and published by the finance committee of the upper house, praises the high commissioner François Bayrou . According to him, “ to date, the contribution of the High Commission for Planning (HCP) to the definition of public policies has not fully met the significant expectations that were placed in this body at its creation ».

The Senate report denounces a “ concurrence » with all the already existing bodies (France Stratégie, in particular), which produces a “ fragmentation of skills and resources “. The senatorial recommendation to bring these two organizations together had also been adopted in October and François Bayrou had therefore just been promoted to head of a “super” high planning commission. And his small team of around ten employees grew to include a hundred people working for France Stratégie, when the budget went from 1.9 million euros per year to around 23 million euros… François Bayrou says was congratulated: “ Finally, this original institution will be able to play its full role. » And he even spoke of “ save resources for better efficiency »…

A poor record

The concrete results of the HCP are modest. To remain moderate… since 2020, the HCP has published less than twenty “strategic documents”. On various themes such as “ What if Covid lasts? », « Electricity: the duty of lucidity » or even « Agriculture: the challenge of reconquest “. The senatorial report notes that these notes are poorly provided. Some are less than twenty pages long. The Point did not hesitate to comment: “ We are very far from the ultra-substantiated documents full of figures from the Court of Auditors or the General Inspectorate of Finance. Some, to put it bluntly, look like students’ copies of master’s degrees at Sciences Po. And it is clear that they are hardly useful, given the lack of repetition of the courses of action they propose. » Here you will find extracts from the senators’ reactions and the sometimes embarrassed responses of the government spokesperson at the time, Prisca Thevenot.

A structure specially created for Bayrou

This organization, which some describe as “ Théodule committee » or « empty shell », was specially recreated by Emmanuel Macron for Bayrou, alongside France Stratégie, which had absorbed the former Planning Commission. A process which already says a lot about the French administrative disease… If the senatorial report notes that, from a budgetary point of view, the financial management of the HCP ” does not present any particular difficulty », its annual budget is still around 1.9 million euros to ensure operating expenses and, above all, 14 full-time equivalents. An additional expense which was therefore added to the cost of other structures. Certainly, François Bayrou had chosen to exercise his functions as high commissioner on a voluntary basis. But all this says that this HCP was a rattle intended to reward a faithful of Macronie.

The report pointed out, moreover, the “ strong customization » of the office of high commissioner, “ hardly compatible with its foresight and planning missions », adding that the “ important political responsibilities that the High Commissioner continues to assume, in parallel with his mandate, strongly question ».

Bayrou’s passage to this position is neither glorious nor convincing. Once again, if he wanted to live up to the Himalayas he speaks of, he would have to stop… doing Bayrou.