After that of last year, the deputies adopted, on Monday, a new increase in the justice budget in 2022 during the examination of the second part of the budget bill, which provides in particular for the creation of a reserve of the judicial protection of young people (PJJ).
Against the backdrop of an overall increase in the appropriations of the sovereign ministries, the lights are green on the side of the Place Vendôme, with a new increase of 8%, after that already recorded in 2021, a budget that will be inflated by 720 million. euros in 2022.
A budget “far below the needs”
“We have no reason to be in the autoflagellation”, squeaked the Minister of Justice, Eric Dupond-Moretti, while part of the opposition was annoyed with the satisfaction of the Minister of Justice as well as majority deputies. “We are in the parallel world of Macronia where everything is perfect where everything is fine”, quipped the rebellious Ugo Bernalicis when the communist Stéphane Peu regretted a budget “far below the needs”.
“France has half the number of judges and four times fewer prosecutors than the European average”, recalled the Communist deputy. Socialists and LR have for their part welcomed a “positive” development but if the PS group has chosen to support the budget, the Republicans have announced their vote against, denouncing the lack of “management” within the ministry.
Job creation under Macron
As usual between the executive and the LR opposition, Eric Dupond-Moretti highlighted the creation of positions under the five-year Macron term with regard to the policy of reducing public spending under Nicolas Sarkozy, weighing the 650 creations of magistrate positions between 2017 and 2022 against the drop of 102 recorded between 2007 and 2012.
The Minister of Justice also took advantage of the vote on these appropriations to table an amendment providing for the creation of a reserve for the PJJ. It will be made up of retired civil servants (Justice, Armed Forces, Interior, National Education…), as well as volunteers from civil society, announced the Minister. It aims to promote the social and professional integration of juvenile offenders, he added. The allocation for this reserve is 240,000 euros in 2022.
More “Grave Danger” phones
If Patrick Hetzel (LR) found the idea “interesting”, Ugo Bernalicis considered that it marked a new stage in the “rightization” of government action by opening a framework for young delinquents by ex-soldiers. The elected LFI drew a volley of green wood from Eric Dupond-Moretti – the two are used to strong arms passes – who blasted “totally stupid controversies”.
Responding to an amendment by the former LREM MP Albane Gaillot, Eric Dupond-Moretti further promised that Justice would deploy “as many“ Grave Danger ”phones as needed”. Three thousand of these telephones intended for women victims of violence by their ex-spouses will have been distributed in November.