LFI MP Éric Coquerel came out empty-handed on Tuesday, September 17, from the Hôtel Matignon. The chairman of the Finance Committee has been worried for several weeks about the 2025 Budget project, which is due to begin examination in two weeks. With Charles de Courson, Liot MP and general rapporteur of the committee, he came to request documents concerning this budget directly from the Prime Minister’s residence. But the two men did not obtain satisfaction.
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It was initially with confidence that Éric Cocquerel and Charles de Courson entered through the back door of the Hôtel Matignon, rue de Varenne, on Tuesday 17 September. Objective: to finally obtain the ceiling letters that set the budget of the ministries and that allow the future budget to be constructed.
” The Chairman of the Finance Committee and the General Rapporteur for the Budget have the right to access all documents. The ceiling letters are part of this. “, assured Charles De Courson. These documents ” are necessary to carry out our work as parliamentarians “, said Eric Coquerel. His colleague Charles de Courson asked that Parliament be ” respected “, in the absence of a clear majority.
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” This is not acceptable »
But the visit only lasted 30 minutes. Eric Coquerel and Charles de Courson returned empty-handed and denounced a denial of the rights of parliamentarians. We are quite stunned […], because we were refused access to these documents “, on the grounds that it is a question of ” preparatory documents ” said Eric Coquerel, angrily. “They considered that they did not have to communicate them to us. This is not acceptable. How will our colleagues and the special rapporteurs for each of the budgets be able to work? On the basis of what? ” denounced Charles De Courson.
“It is high time for the Finance Committee to work on the Budget “, added Eric Coquerel, who suspects the Prime Minister of playing for time. “We may wonder whether, by not being able to launch the budget debate, we are not being forced to accept a budget by delaying our having the opportunity to take part in this debate. »
The two heads of the Finance Committee say they will attempt to appeal. To try to obtain the ceiling letters, Eric Cocquerel now intends to knock on the door of the Ministry of the Economy.
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