The Montaigne Institute published a report on February 4 calling for restoring an ethic of responsibility within public authority. Piloted by Jean-Dominique Senard and Jean-Louis Bourlanges, the document denounces a dilution of responsibility particularly evident in French administration.
In a report released on Wednesday, February 4, the Montaigne Institute, a liberal think tank, urges a frank and massive return to the principle of responsibility in managing public affairs. The authors argue that, despite numerous calls for responsibility on issues like climate, health, and budgetary rigor, the administration itself must first reform.
Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman of the Renault Group board, and Jean-Louis Bourlanges, former deputy, led this advocacy effort. Senard emphasizes: “We must create a real shock; it is a democratic necessity.” Their assessment is straightforward: “Everyone claims to be responsible, but no one truly is or acknowledges its demands.”
The report highlights several administrative shortcomings. Overlapping competencies create a “decision-making fog” that allows evasion of accountability. Additionally, the obligation focuses on means rather than results, and the precautionary principle is applied abusively. In the authors' view, these factors leave France “in a deadlock” where “irresponsibility reigns supreme.”
This document aims to pull the administration out of the “comfort of irresponsibility” by reinstating a stricter ethic, thereby bolstering democratic trust.
