Rémi Jacob, with AFP
modified to
10:00 a.m., February 13, 2023
The Council of State agreed on Wednesday February 8 to a Dutch journalist who has been asking the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo since 2018 to communicate to him her representation expenses for the year 2017, which she refused to do.
The Council of State has just agreed with a journalist who asked for Anne Hidalgo’s expense reports. This journalist is called Stefan de Vries. He is Dutch. And since 2018, he had been asking in vain for the expense reports of the mayor of Paris.
The journalist wanted to write an article on the expenses incurred for the Olympics
More specifically, those of 2017, the year in which the city was designated host city of the 2024 Olympic Games. Objective: to write an article on the expenses incurred to win these famous Olympics.
Expense reports can be claimed by all citizens
After a long battle, the journalist has just won his case. The Council of State demanded that the City of Paris reconsider its request within one month. So on the form, he cancels a previous decision which gave reason to the journalist. It’s a bit technical. But on the merits, and this is what must be remembered, the Council of State considers that, yes, bills for catering costs, or even representation costs, can be claimed by all citizens.
A decision that could set a precedent
The entourage of the mayor of Paris tells us that the City will follow up on its request in accordance with the decision of the Council of State, now that this question of law has been decided. This decision of the Council of State could set a precedent. This obviously goes beyond the simple framework of the city of Paris. All French public institutions are concerned, and in particular the most prestigious, such as the Elysée or Matignon.