
In what is being seen in some quarters as a challenge to President Emmanuel Macron, the French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has come out openly against the government's over reliance and dependence on external consultancies like US firm McKinsey.
His remarks came days after French investigators opened inquiries into the role that consulting firms played in the 2017 and 2022 elections amid claims of irregular campaign financing. There was also speculation that work done by the consultants were under-billed in violation of the European country's strict electoral laws.
As per an earlier report in Politico, consulting firms like McKinsey, Accenture and Citwell have been extremely influential in French politics, especially when Macron came to power.
The French minister acknowledged that past administrations overly relied on consultancies.
He said, "I willingly recognise it, and I think that we have gone too far."
He added that whether it's the current administrationor the previous one, there has been a slip-up.
Prior to being re-elected this year, Emmanuel Macron faced criticism for his increasing reliance on the private sector.
However, the president on Friday (Nov 25), refuted claims that he was the primary subject of a judicial investigation of the employment of management consultants by the government and their involvement in the recent election campaigns.
A day earlier, the French prosecutor's office said it had begun an investigation that was reportedly centred on Macron and his 2017 and 2022 presidential campaigns. There were reports, meanwhile, thatBruno Le Maire aims to fight for presidency in the next elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
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