Urgent letter from the Legal Affairs Directorate (DAJ): Report of the Court of Auditors on consular services provided to French citizens abroad
Reference: 2023A004327
To: Heads of Diplomatic and Consular Missions
Subject: Feedback on the Report of the Court of Auditors on consular services provided to French citizens abroad.
On 15 February 2023, the Court of Auditors published its report entitled “Consular services provided to French citizens abroad: a vast mission that needs to be better defined and more effectively prioritised.”
This report contains many observations and recommendations on the consular network. It analyses the current state of consular services, their evolution over time, and the challenges that the network will have to face in the coming years.
The observations and recommendations of the Court of Auditors cover four areas:
- Leadership of the consular network
- Quality of consular services
- Financial situation of consulates
- Digital resources
The Court of Auditors makes 16 recommendations, 10 of which are addressed to the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, 4 to the Ministry of the Interior, and 2 to the Ministry of Justice.
The Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs has taken note of the report’s conclusions and recommendations. He has instructed the Legal Affairs Directorate to examine, as soon as possible, the recommendations addressed to the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in order to propose to him the necessary action to be taken.
In the meantime, he asks all the heads of diplomatic and consular missions to take note of the conclusions and recommendations of the report and to examine, in particular, the following points:
- _Consular assistance for our fellow citizens in difficulty.
- The quality of the welcome and support provided to French citizens at consulates.
- The search for synergies between our diplomatic and consular networks.
- The adaptation of the consular network to new challenges, such as the impact of Brexit, the rise of dual nationality, the digital revolution and consular crises._
The heads of diplomatic and consular missions are asked to inform the Directorate of Legal Affairs (DAJ) of the main actions they intend to take to implement the recommendations of the Court of Auditors by March 15, 2023 at the latest.
The Legal Affairs Directorate (DAJ) remains at your disposal for any further information.
Frédéric BARDON Head of Legal Affairs (DAJ)
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