Amélie de Montchalin, newly appointed first president of the Cour des comptes, has announced she will abstain from deliberations on the 2025 budget execution. This decision follows her controversial nomination by President Emmanuel Macron on February 11. Meanwhile, David Amiel succeeds her at the Ministry of Public Action and Accounts.
Amélie de Montchalin took up her role as first president of the Cour des comptes on Monday, February 23, 2026. In a statement released that day, the institution stated that « the first president has decided to abstain from participating in the deliberations related to the work on the execution of the State and Social Security budget for 2025 and the certification of the 2025 accounts, as well as reports concerning organizations over which she exercised authority in the last three years ».
Her appointment, decided by the President of the Republic on February 11, sparked significant controversy. The opposition denounced a conflict of interest, as the outgoing minister would have to rule on the public deficit and budgetary choices of a government she was part of. Previously, Amélie de Montchalin had served as Secretary of State for European Affairs, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for Ecological Transition, which she left after her defeat in the 2022 legislative elections.
Regarding the 2026 budget, which she prepared as minister, no specific announcement was made. The Cour des comptes simply noted that, in application of Article L. 120-10 of the Financial Jurisdictions Code, Amélie de Montchalin submitted her declaration of interests to the ethics college.
Meanwhile, David Amiel, 33, was appointed on Sunday, February 22, to the Ministry of Public Action and Accounts, succeeding Amélie de Montchalin. At 33 years old, this Macron loyalist, trained at the École normale supérieure and Princeton University, joined Emmanuel Macron in 2015 as an intern in his cabinet. He had held the position of Delegate Minister for the Civil Service and State Reform since October 2025, under Amélie de Montchalin’s authority.
This government adjustment, announced by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, is delayed until at least Wednesday, February 25, due to the reserve period for municipal elections and an expected no-confidence motion from the Rassemblement national on the multi-annual energy programming.
