In an exceptional year, exceptional work: the Court of Auditors devotes a large part of its annual report, unveiled this Thursday, to the "first lessons" of the health crisis.
And the findings are mixed: the financial institution considers that "public actors do not pay enough attention to risk management, to their preparation, whatever their nature".
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Thus, in hospitals, and in particular in intensive care units, in the organization of school continuity during confinement or in terms of taking care of the homeless, “crisis anticipation systems were not at the rendezvous, ”she said.
A "strong mobilization" on aid for the return of French people stranded abroad
But the report also distributes the good points: the Court of Auditors welcomes the aid for the return of the French who found themselves stranded abroad when the first confinement was announced.
On this aspect, the administration has shown its ability to adapt.
It is also thanks to the "strong mobilization capacity" of the agents that the public operators were finally able to adapt to the crisis overall after a period of "disorganization", whether in hospitals, within the tax administration to deliver aid, or within Unédic, underlines the institution.
"Better control" the solidarity fund system
The Court also commends the capacity for “innovation” and “reaction” of public actors to face an unprecedented situation.
However, it also notes the “high financial cost” of the crisis, and points to the “questionable” effectiveness of certain expenditures due to the lack of preparation of public actors, or the need to “better control” some of them, for example the mechanism of the solidarity fund for companies.
The crisis has also highlighted the shortcomings in the financing of certain public services, such as the pricing of critical care (intensive care, resuscitation, etc.) or the financing of rail services.
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In addition to its work related to the epidemic, the Court also focused in its annual report on several areas of public action such as Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Chambers of Crafts, Inclusion banking, innovation in defense or even the management of water and public lighting by communities.
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Absent, on the other hand, the traditional assessment of the state of public finances will wait until next month, Matignon having commissioned the Court to carry out specific work on the subject at a time when the public debt exploded with the increase in expenditure to cope with the health crisis.