| France: Integrity Scorecard Report > Sub-Category: State-Owned Enterprises | ||
| Indicators | Score | |
| 64 | In law, is there an agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies? | 100 |
| 65 | Is the agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies effective? | 45 |
| 66 | Can citizens access the financial records of state-owned companies? | 35 |
Indicator and sub-Indicator Details
| 64 | In law, is there an agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies? | |||||||
| 64: In law, is there an agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies? | ||||||||
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Comments: References: The mechanisms for the supervision for state-owned companies (called tutelle) are complex and involve various public authorities depending on what is being supervised (operations, routine supervision, appointments...). The main authorities involved are the president of the Republic, the prime minister, the minister of Finance, goverment commissioners, inspection bodies, the Financial Court, Parliament...
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| 65 | Is the agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies effective? | |||||||
| 65a: In law, the agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies is protected from political interference. | ||||||||
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Comments: The mechanisms are diverse. Protection from political interference is not always possible. References: There is no such law.
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| 65b: In practice, the agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies has a professional, full-time staff. | ||||||||
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Comments: The mechanisms for the supervision for state-owned companies, called tutelle, are complex and involve various public authorities (president of the Republic, the prime minister, the minister of Finance, goverment commissioners, inspection bodies, the Financial Court, Parliament). References: Ariane Amson, Le gouvernement d'entreprise dans les entreprises publiques, April 1, 2005, [ LINK ]
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| 65c: In practice, the agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies receives regular funding. | ||||||||
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Comments: The mechanisms and bodies are diverse. They have regular sources of funding but the proportion of funds attached to the oversight of state-owned companies is not always sufficient. As part of a general cut in public expenditure, there are threats of budget cuts. References: Ariane Amson, Le gouvernement d'entreprise dans les entreprises publiques, April 1, 2005, [ LINK ]
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| 65d: In practice, when necessary, the agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies independently initiates investigations. | ||||||||
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Comments: Powers to initiate investigations are not always fully exercised and do not always develop into far-reaching investigations. Investigations and their results are not always visible to the public. There can be difficulties in cooperating with other agencies. References: Ariane Amson, Le gouvernement d'entreprise dans les entreprises publiques, April 1, 2005, [ LINK ]
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| 65e: In practice, when necessary, the agency or equivalent mechanism overseeing state-owned companies imposes penalties on offenders. | ||||||||
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Comments: The mechanisms and bodies are diverse. Some make recommendations but do not have the power to impose penalties. Investigations which threaten powerful offenders are usually slow and rarely result in significant penalties. References: Ariane Amson, Le gouvernement d'entreprise dans les entreprises publiques, April 1, 2005, [ LINK ]
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| 66 | Can citizens access the financial records of state-owned companies? | |||||||
| 66a: In law, citizens can access the financial records of state-owned companies. | ||||||||
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Comments: References: There is no such law.
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| 66b: In practice, the financial records of state-owned companies are regularly updated. | ||||||||
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Comments: State-owned companies disclose financial data but it is usually succint, published late and hardly understandable for the public when they can obtain it. References: Senat, Le président de la commission des finances du sénat se félicite de la première publication des comptes combinés des entreprises publiques, Nov. 16, 2004, [ LINK ]; Cour des Comptes, Rapport sur la situation et les perspectives des finances publiques, June 2007, [ LINK ]
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| 66c: In practice, the financial records of state-owned companies are audited according to international accounting standards. | ||||||||
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Comments: Financial records are sometimes audited according to international standards. But this is no automatic guarantee that the financial records provided are truthful, that every relevant piece of information has been disclosed or that there is no collusion between the audited company and the audit company. References: Senat, Le président de la commission des finances du sénat se félicite de la première publication des comptes combinés des entreprises publiques, Nov. 16, 2004, [ LINK ]; Cour des Comptes, Rapport sur la situation et les perspectives des finances publiques, June 2007, [ LINK ]; Capron, Michael (ed) Les normes comptables internationales, instruments du capitalisme financier, Editions La Découverte, Paris, 2005
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| 66d: In practice, citizens can access the financial records of state-owned companies within a reasonable time period. | ||||||||
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Comments: Records of state-owned companies can be difficult to obtain and the records obtained can be incomplete. References: Senat, Le président de la commission des finances du sénat se félicite de la première publication des comptes combinés des entreprises publiques, Nov. 16, 2004, [ LINK ]; Cour des Comptes, Rapport sur la situation et les perspectives des finances publiques, June 2007, [ LINK ];
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| 66e: In practice, citizens can access the financial records of state-owned companies at a reasonable cost. | ||||||||
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Comments: Records of state-owned companies can be difficult to obtain and the records obtained can be incomplete. References: Senat, Le président de la commission des finances du sénat se félicite de la première publication des comptes combinés des entreprises publiques, Nov. 16, 2004, [ LINK ]; Cour des Comptes, Rapport sur la situation et les perspectives des finances publiques, June 2007, [ LINK ];
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