France scraps several interministerial delegations under ‘Effective State’ mission

ISTANBUL

France’s new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Thursday announced the abolition of several interministerial delegations under the new “Effective State” mission, aimed at cutting government spending amid a soaring public debt.

"The 'Effective State' Mission has been created. Placed under my direct authority, with a small and agile team, it is tasked with continuously proposing measures for a better organization of public services," Lecornu announced on US social media company X.

He said that the mission will be reviewing existing interministerial delegations, with a "simple" instruction: "abolition is now the rule, maintenance the exception."

"On its proposal, I have decided, as a first step, to abolish three interministerial delegations, one ministerial delegation, one general delegation, one national coordinator, and one interministerial delegate position," Lecornu explained.

The new premier entrusted two senior officials with the mission to “make the administrative organization more transparent, simpler, and more efficient,” by regrouping, merging, and, “if necessary,” abolishing “structures that duplicate efforts within the same area of public policy," according to a written statement seen by broadcaster Franceinfo.

About 10 public bodies will reportedly be scrapped for overlapping roles in the coming days, including the forestry and wood ministerial delegation, one of several spread across different ministries.

- Controversial national budget plan

France is facing mounting political tensions as former Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly on Sept. 8.

Bayrou, who unveiled a 2026 budget framework in July, was seeking support for a plan to save nearly €44 billion ($51 billion) as part of efforts to reduce France’s soaring public debt, now at 113% of its GDP.

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu as the country’s new prime minister. He has been tasked with holding consultations with political parties before forming his government.

France has one of the EU's largest budget deficits at 5.8% of GDP.

Budget negotiations have been a major source of tension in French politics.

The failure to reach an agreement on the 2025 budget last year also led to the collapse of the Michel Barnier government in December after left-wing and far-right parties joined forces to support a no-confidence motion.