FRANCE: 70 avatars launched the French Court of Accounts’ citizen platform

28.05.2022

On 9 March 2022, more than 70 connected "avatars" from all professional and geographical backgrounds, using the Gather tool, a virtual collaborative work and exchange space, participated in the launch of the French Court of Accounts' citizen platform.

Some people came on their own behalf, others representing associations or federations. For the occasion, the library room, the Philippe Seguin gallery and its vault decorated by the artist Bernar Venet, as well as the conference room, had been virtually recreated. The communication department had also produced a video presenting the platform.

Just enough time to acclimatise to the tool's functionalities, and everyone found themselves in the virtual conference room to hear the First President, Pierre Moscovici, launch the event.

SAI France pic1

In his inaugural speech, the First President recalled that this platform was the concrete expression of the first orientation of the strategic plan named "JF2025": to strengthen the link between the Court and the citizens. Mr Pierre Moscovici described this platform as "the first embodiment of my desire to make the Court of Accounts a 'citizens' house'", and placed it in a broader set of actions aimed at strengthening this relationship between the French Court and citizens:

˗ the adoption of a new axis of control of the quality of the public service rendered, mobilising citizens' contributions;

˗ the creation of a platform for collecting reports on breaches of probity, which will also be launched before the summer;

˗ finally, an ambition to publish all of our communicable work within a few years.

Connect to the citizen platform

The participants then gathered around the six tables representing the six thematic chambers of the French Court. The members of the Court leading these tables began by presenting the chamber to which they belonged, its organisation and the Court's operating principles, as well as some recent reports. They then opened the discussion with the participants, asking them what subjects they would like to see the Court deal with.

SAI France pic2

The avatars, gathered around the table of the first chamber, while brainstorming.

At the end of the workshops, the participants presented their suggestions to all the avatars in the virtual conference room.

Anastasia Iline, Deputy Secretary General, expressed her satisfaction at the success of the event and the quality of its organisation. She indicated that 22 suggestions had been formulated, some of which were, in her opinion, "very innovative and showed the interest of citizen participation".

Jean-Michel Thornary, then Secretary General of the French Court, closed the event by calling on "each and every one of us to become ambassadors of this process, to bring it to life and encourage other citizens to join in".

The opportunity to submit suggestions on the platform ended on 20 May 2022. In total, more than 200 suggestions were submitted, on a variety of subjects: from public financial support for fishing and to hunting federations, to software expenditure by central administrations.

The selected suggestions will be included in the Court's 2023 work programme and presented to the public during the European Heritage Days, in September, on which occasion the French Court of Accounts welcomes the public.

By Denis Gettliffe, Deputy Director, communication department