The mayor of the 8th arrondissement of Paris, Joan of Hauteserreannounced on Tuesday his decision to reimburse the 36,000 euros in representation expenses used since 2020 for the . The statement comes days after the official acknowledged on the BFMTV set that she used these public funds to “dress well” and purchase “good quality French products.”
The issue opened a deep debate among many French citizens, especially after it became known that d’Hauteserre had a monthly budget of €990 for this purpose. “I want to use it as I see fit,” he initially stated, although he later qualified his position and expressed his willingness to refer the case to the ethics commission of the city of Paris.
In a statement, the mayor justified her decision by pointing out the national context: “France is sinking into a democratic crisis and is unable to adopt a budget to clean up its public accounts”. Therefore, he called on elected officials to show “a exemplary behavior“and” to share the effort that is required of everyone.
Calls to end this “privilege” of politicians
From Hauteserre He also asked for “the end of”referring to representation expenses that, according to the National Center for Territorial Public Service, can be reimbursed by local authorities if adequately justified.
“In the current economic situation, where we ask our fellow citizens to make an effort, we have to eliminate all these privileges,” the mayor stressed, recognizing that “someone who earns €1,200 a month would be surprised that we are entitled to €990 in entertainment expenses”.
The final decision will now fall to the city ethics commissionwhich will evaluate the case even though, legally, d’Hauteserre’s expenses were authorized. Meanwhile, the debate over mayoral spending has gained momentum in recent weeks following revelations about questionable uses of public funds by several officials in the French capital.
