Le coût des ex-Premiers ministres a baissé de 500 000 euros

In Paris, a symbolic budget line that will help save money in 2026 has been revealed. According to a parliamentary document seen by POLITICO ahead of its release, the cost of perks for former Prime Ministers is estimated at around 1.2 million euros, down by half a million euros compared to 2025 (1.72 million). This is the most significant reduction since 2019, according to data gathered by deputy Marie-Christine Dalloz in her special report for the finance bill proposal.

The decrease has two explanations. Firstly, the departure of Lionel Jospin in March and Edouard Balladur in August, who required 260,000 euros in 2025. Secondly, a decree by Sébastien Lecornu upon his arrival at Matignon, retroactively ending the possibility for his predecessors to benefit from a chauffeur with a function vehicle, ten years after leaving their posts.

While Dominique de Villepin, François Fillon, Alain Juppé, Laurent Fabius, Jean-Marc Ayrault, and Edith Cresson have lost this advantage, Jean-Pierre Raffarin still has a vehicle provided by the Quai d'Orsay for a "temporary and unpaid official mission on Sino-French relations," as he explained to AFP after being involved in an accident in Paris in June.

This reform is expected to save the state a few hundred thousand euros, at a time when the government is increasingly looking for savings. The allowance is expected to remain stable from then on, with the forecast for 2027 being close to that of 2026. Deputy Dalloz notes, however, that there is no desire among the affected individuals to reduce these benefits, as they are all using the allocated funds.