Financial Risk:
Moderate
Score:
61/100
Asset Disposals
Q24
50/100
How effective are controls over the disposal of assets, and is information on these disposals, and the proceeds of their sale, transparent?
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Disposal of real estate assets or property assets (equipments), and the proceeds of their sale, are supposedly overseen by several entities within the Ministry…
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The “Mission de réalisation des actifs immobiliers de la défense” (MRAI) has 2 options: firstly to look only for the higher price because there…
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According to general « rapporteur » of the Military Ethics Committee, [1] all of the proceeds from real estate asset transactions finance real estate…
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Q25
67/100
Is independent and transparent scrutiny of asset disposals conducted by defence establishments, and are the reports of such scrutiny publicly available?
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The Cour des comptes is the highest audit institution that reviews, scrutinises, criticises, publishes reports and recommendations about all aspects of the State budget,…
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No record of undue influence exerted by the executive or the military on the asset disposal process was found. [1]
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Audit reports on asset disposals aren’t publicly released on a regular basis. The Cour des comptes does publish reports about the “management of real…
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Secret Budgets
Q26
100/100
What percentage of defence and security expenditure in the budget year is dedicated to spending on secret items relating to national security and the intelligence services?
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“Special funds” are secret funds, “dedicated to the financing of various actions related to the external and internal security of the State”, allocated to…
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Q27
25/100
Is the legislature (or the appropriate legislative committee or members of the legislature) given full information for the budget year on the spending of all secret items relating to national security and military intelligence?
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The controlling entity of the special funds is the Special Funds Verification Committee (CVFS), a special commission within the Parliamentary Delegation on Intelligence (DPR).…
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Q28
13/100
Are audit reports of the annual accounts of the security sector (the military and intelligence services) subject to parliamentary debate?
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Q29
50/100
In law, are off-budget military expenditures permitted, and if so, are they exceptional occurrences that are well-controlled? In practice, are there any off-budget military expenditures? If so, does evidence suggest this involves illicit economic activity?
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Off-budget military expenditures are provided by law, but funds are regularly used in an opaque way: the DDAI, « decrees of accidental and unpredictable…
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DDAIs are mentioned [1] in the Finance Law (PLF). On average, between 2012 and 2015, they amounted to 12 million Euros. [2] The Finance…
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Off-budget military and intelligence services expenditures happen on a regular basis, though the amounts, when compared to the Defence or Interior Security and Intelligence…
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Q30
50/100
Are mechanisms for accessing information from the defence sector effective?
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In France, the accountability of public servants is a constitutional right, according to article 15 of the Declaration of Human and Citizen Rights. [1]…
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This indicator is not assigned a score in the GDI. The “secret-défense” classification is the French legal framework that ensures that information is adequately…
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The public is able to formally request access to information. If that access is granted, but the Consultative Commission of the Secrecy of National…
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Q31
100/100
Do national defence and security institutions have beneficial ownership of commercial businesses? If so, how transparent are details of the operations and finances of such businesses?
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The Ministry of the Armed Forces (MOAF) does own some commercial entities. They are providers of the logistical needs of the armies. The main…
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This indicator is marked ‘Not Applicable’. The ministry doesn’t literally “own” companies. It can have the usufruct of the non-fiscal benefits, but this does…
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Military-owned Businesses
Q32
63/100
Are military-owned businesses subject to transparent independent scrutiny at a recognised international standard?
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The Cour des comptes evaluates all state-owned entities, military entities with commercial activity as well as state-owned defence-related companies. It does so based on…
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The Cour des comptes audits and reports are available online for everyone to read. However, only one example of an independent audit on state…
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Illegal Private Enterprise
Q33
100/100
Is there evidence of unauthorised private enterprise by military or other defence ministry employees? If so, what is the government’s reaction to such enterprise?
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The Defence Code strictly regulates private activities by military staff. [1] Military staff are, for example, allowed to sell their own goods, or work…
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No examples of corruption were found in this regard, which suggests that the Deontology Commission [1] which decides as to which activity is compatible…
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Actual Military Spending
Q77
50/100
Is comprehensive data on actual spending on defence published during the budget year?
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The Initial Finance Law sets initial credits for the four areas of expenditure of the Defence Budget for the budget year to come. These…
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General figures accounting for actual defence spending are disclosed in the “loi de règlement”, issued every year for the previous budget year. This act…
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Details of actual spending are published within twelve months of the end of the financial year: – the “Loi de règlement” for the 2017…
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The “loi de règlement”, in the form accessible to the public on the “Legifrance” wesbite, is very general and gives only the updated general…
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