Yesterday the Council of Ministers heard a report about progress of the general review of public policies (RGPP), the major initiative under way since 2007 to reform public administrations in France. Our interest will be in the list of measures taken under the general heading "improve the quality of public services." This programme includes structural reforms (such as the creation of one-stop-shops and reducing the number of departmental offices at the local level) and an impressive list of 100 simplification measures reducing red tape for citizens and businesses over three years. The emphasis is on electronic procedures, which now cover most of the most current benefits. Success of the programme is claimed from the results of regular satisfaction surveys ("perception of complexity") rather than measuring the reduction of burdens. Some of the simplifications require the amendment of legal clauses. Another major component of the RGPP is the reduction of public spending through staff reductions (150.000 positions suppressed over 5 years by not replacing one out of two staff on retirement) and increased productivity. The full report (300 pages) draws a complete picture of administrative reform, distinguishing cross-cutting issues and departmental reforms. It also reads as the final report of this goverment's modernisation plans for the public sector, in the run-up to the elections in the first part of 2012.
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