Personnel Risk:
Low
Score:
73/100
Leadership Behaviour
Q34
25/100
Do the Defence Ministry, Defence Minister, Chiefs of Defence, and Single Service Chiefs publicly commit, through, for example, speeches, media interviews, or political mandates, to anti-corruption and integrity measures?
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There is some evidence of a commitment from the Defence Minister, Chief of Defence, or Single Service Chiefs and the Ministry may issue ad…
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There is little evidence of a public commitment from the Defence Minister, Chief of Defence, or Single Service Chiefs. Anti-corruption is not a theme…
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No public record of statements about anti-corruption and integrity measures from a senior Ministry of Defence or armed forces staff were found. [1]
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Q35
75/100
Are there effective measures in place for personnel found to have taken part in forms of bribery and corruption, and is there evidence that these measures are being carried out?
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In France there is no military justice. Military personnel are subject to civil law, like any citizen. There is no legislation targeting corruption specifically…
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Cases are investigated or prosecuted by the civil judicial system, like any case involving civilians, through formal processes that enjoy separation of powers, without…
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Q36
50/100
Is whistleblowing encouraged by the government, and are whistle-blowers in military and defence ministries afforded adequate protection from reprisal for reporting evidence of corruption, in both law and practice?
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The Sapin 2 law of December 2016 focuses on transparency, anti-corruption, the modernisation of economic life and the protection of whistleblowers. [1] It explains…
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Whistleblowing, though now written in the law and protected by it, [1] is not encouraged by the government. Interviewees (staff of the ministry of…
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Interviewees – among them staff of the ministry of armed forces [1] [2] – have cast doubt on whether whistleblowers are adequately protected. Whistleblowers…
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Q37
67/100
Is special attention paid to the selection, time in post, and oversight of personnel in sensitive positions, including officials and personnel in defence procurement, contracting, financial management, and commercial management?
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The Defence Code adapted the Ethics law in public service of April 20, 2016. It resulted in several new articles tackling conflicts of interest…
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According to the “General rapporteur” of the Military Ethics Committee, [1] when applying for sensitive positions, applicants go through a vetting process organised by…
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According to the “General rapporteur” of the Military Ethics Committee, [1] there is internal oversight in the Ministry to scrutinise the appointment of personnel…
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Payroll, Promotions, Appointments, Rewards
Q38
83/100
Is the number of civilian and military personnel accurately known and publicly available?
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The Ministry of the Armed Forces (MOAF) publishes every year its “social report” (“bilan social”). [1] Because of its annual publication, some figures can…
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Information on the number of civilian and military personnel is made available publicly by the Ministry of Defence on its website [1] in the…
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To the knowledge of several experts on defence issues, [1] [2] the military has not been faced with the problem of ghost soldiers in…
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Q39
100/100
Are pay rates and allowances for civilian and military personnel openly published?
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Pay rates for all civilian and military personnel are published in the yearly Social Report, [1] disaggregated by rank. Summarised information is made available…
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Allowances for all civilian and military personnel are openly published, including criteria for eligibility and calculation methods. [1]
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Q40
58/100
Do personnel receive the correct pay on time, and is the system of payment well-established, routine, and published?
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The deficient “Louvois” payment system is still partially used and causes errors in payments in 9% of cases, which represents more than 17,000 soldiers…
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The deficient “Louvois” payment system is still partially used and causes errors in payments in 9% of cases, which represents more than 17,000 soldiers…
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The payment and allowances system is openly published once a year in the Social Report. [1] It includes : – Pay brackets for all…
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Q41
33/100
Is there an established, independent, transparent, and objective appointment system for the selection of military personnel at middle and top management level?
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Middle-management military personnel are recruited through formal processes: each branch of the army has its own recruiting website with job postings online. [1] [2]…
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Nominations of top management military personnel are discretionary [1] and left to the sole decision of the President of the Republic. Some of these…
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Information on military appointments – including senior positions – can be found online in the text of decrees issued by the Council of Ministers…
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Q42
75/100
Are personnel promoted through an objective, meritocratic process? Such a process would include promotion boards outside of the command chain, strong formal appraisal processes, and independent oversight.
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There are formal processes in place: a commission composed of people who are hierarchically higher than the applicant being considered for promotion presents the…
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Beyond the formal processes outlined in 42A, other means of awarding rank do exist, though they are exceptional: “Except in cases of exceptional action…
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The promotion table of the officers is published once a year, or at any moment for the senior ranks and postings: see Promotion table…
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The promotion table of the officers is published once a year, or at any moment for the senior ranks and postings: see Promotion table…
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Conscription and Recruitment
Q43
NA/100
Where compulsory conscription occurs, is there a policy of not accepting bribes for avoiding conscription? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?
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Compulsory conscription doesn’t occur in France. President Jacques Chirac decided in 1997 to end the compulsory “service militaire”. The decision became effective in 2001.…
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Compulsory conscription doesn’t occur in France. President Jacques Chirac decided in 1997 to end the compulsory “service militaire”. The decision became effective in 2001.…
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Compulsory conscription doesn’t occur in France. President Jacques Chirac decided in 1997 to end the compulsory “service militaire”. The decision became effective in 2001.…
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Q44
100/100
is there a policy of refusing bribes to gain preferred postings? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?
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Although there is no explicit mention of “bribes to gain preferred posting” in the military forces per se, these fall under the definition of…
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Active and passive bribery by military personnel – considered by law to be persons “holding public authority” – are offenses incurring the same penalty:…
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No record was found of any case of bribery. No element leads us to believe that, should there be cases of bribery to gain…
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Salary Chain
Chains of command are strictly separated from chains of payment throughout the Ministry and armed forces. These are two separate branches, as seen on…
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Values and Standards
Q46
81/100
Is there a Code of Conduct for all military personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?
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In 2021, The Ministry of the Armed Forces adopted a standalone Anti-Corruption and Ethics Code of Conduct for all civilian and military personnel working…
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The Anti-Corruption Code of Conduct is readily available online in an easily accessible and legible format on the website of the Ministry of the…
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Given how the Anti-Corruption Code of Conduct was only approved in January 2021, it is still too early to assess its enforcement [1]. In…
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As the Anti-Corruption Code is very recent, it is difficult to assess whether it has been integrated into training programmes. The Code itself is…
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Q47
75/100
Is there a Code of Conduct for all civilian personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?
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In December 2020, The Ministry of the Armed Forces has adopted a standalone Anti-Corruption and Ethics Code of Conduct for all civilian and military…
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The Anti-Corruption Code of Conduct is readily available online in an easily accessible and legibile format on the website of the Ministry of the…
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There is not enough information to score this indicator. The anti-Corruption Code of Conduct was only approved in January 2021 and it is still…
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As the Anti-Corruption Code is very recent, it is difficult to assess whether it has been integrated into training programmes. The Code itself is…
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Q48
67/100
Does regular anti-corruption training take place for military and civilian personnel?
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According to the General Comptroller of the Armies and “general rapporteur” of the Military Ethics Committee, [1] anti-corruption training does exist for sensitive positions…
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The Law of April 20, 2016 on the ethics, rights and obligations of civil servants states that “the public servant carries out his duties…
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At the decision-making level, before taking up their duties, interventions are provided several times a year by the ministerial referent in the graduate courses…
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Q49
100/100
Is there a policy to make public outcomes of the prosecution of defence services personnel for corrupt activities, and is there evidence of effective prosecutions in recent years?
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Outcomes of prosecutions are publicly available, as they are decided by civilian justice and therefore open to public scrutiny as any non-defence related case.…
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Both the charges and results of prosecutions are made publicly available, from the moment they cease to be covered by the secrecy of prosecution.…
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Cases are investigated or prosecuted through formal processes and without undue political influence. Examples of recent prosecutions include the Balard scandal: [1] an investigation…
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Q50
75/100
Are there effective measures in place to discourage facilitation payments (which are illegal in almost all countries)?
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Facilitation payments are strictly forbidden by Article 432-11 of the Penal Code. [1] The prohibition covers all “offers, promises, gifts, presents or any benefits”,…
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The prosecutor in the French justice system (“juge d’instruction”) is independent from both the executive authority and the French equivalent of the district attorney’s…
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The Balard scandal and the ICS case tend to show that facilitation payments do happen sometimes, but they also show how hard it is…
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