PARIS – Opponents of French President Emmanuel Macron have found a trick to anger him over the final extent of his campaign, which he hopes will be re-elected: For any ideas he comes up with, ask if he comes from McKinsey.
The use of government advisers during Macron’s presidency has become a thorn in the side of his campaign, with two ministers taking the floor on Wednesday to try to protect Macron from a growing controversy just days before the first round of presidential elections. . “We have nothing to hide,” Public Transformation and Services Minister Amélie de Montchalin told a news conference with Budget Minister Olivier Dussopt, who said the debate over the use of advisers had been “politically exploited” and raw handling. “ Both were referring to a national debate that sparked a parliamentary report released by opposition lawmakers earlier this month on the same day that Macron presented his political platform – and a year after POLITICO first reported that the government had hired top McKinsey consulting firm to assist with coronavirus. vaccine, raising questions about the overall use of counselors. After a four-month investigation, senators found that the Macron government and the French public administration have signed contracts worth at least € 2.4 billion with consulting firms from 2018 to work on issues ranging from pension reform to digital transformation and that the use of consultants has increased. during his five-year term. Lawmakers also said McKinsey had not paid corporate tax in France for at least 10 years – a charge the company denies. As the chorus of critics boosted the hashtag #McKinseyGate on social media, Macron and his ministers had to react. The president said Sunday that public procurement rules had been followed. Critics make it sound like “there are shady deals, but they are not,” he said. He challenged his opponents to “go to court” if there was evidence of manipulation [of the rules]His harsh response reminded him of his reaction during a previous crisis involving a former security aide, when Macron had challenged his critics to “come and find him” if they dared. This reaction has been widely interpreted as overly defensive, even among Macron supporters who fear the McKinsey affair is likely to remain, especially in a country that prides itself on its public service excellence and has a long tradition of skepticism about any intervention. private sector in public affairs – even more so when it comes from an American company. The government said it had spent 893m euros in 2021 on consultants and justified the amount due to the pandemic crisis. He also said that France lags behind many other European countries in the use of consultants, but nevertheless said that it will implement new measures for a more “reasonable and moderate” relationship with such companies. He also said that an investigation is underway to ensure that McKinsey paid the right amount of taxes in France and denied any collusion between her advisers and Macron’s party. But opponents continue to use the case to fuel an anti-Macron agenda ahead of the first round of the April 10 presidential election, and conspiracy theories have emerged over McKinsey’s influence. Amid growing concerns about the cost of living, particularly over the war in Ukraine and its impact on energy prices, Macron has come under attack from both the far right and the radical left. “With Emmanuel Macron, McKinsey, who cost you 1 billion euros last year for very vague missions, will continue to spend public money, not pay taxes and lie to the Senate!” National Rally candidate Marin Lepen wrote on Twitter. Xavier Bertrand, a prominent conservative leader who supports presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse, said the use of advisers during Macron’s term was a “state scandal” and would require inquiries from the judiciary – despite evidence showing a significant level Outsourcing to advisers during the former Conservative president The mandate of Nicolas Sarkozy, when both Bertrand and Pecres were ministers. Far-right candidate Eric Zemour suggested that McKinsey’s contracts were the result of a large number of advisers working on Macron’s previous presidential campaign.
Macron’s camp fears the controversy could revive Macron’s image as president of the rich. This cliché, which plays with the president’s past as a former Rothschild banker, is the epitome of all those who fought the Yellow Vest movement. A government spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Macron had difficulty responding to the crisis in Ukraine, but added that McKinsey’s dispute had been taken seriously.