French Civil Service
Encyclopedia
The French Civil Service is the set of civil servants (fonctionnaires) working for the French government
.
Not all employees of the state and public institutions or corporations are civil servants; however, the media often incorrectly equate "government employee" or "employee of a public corporation" with fonctionnaire. For instance, most employees of RATP and SNCF
(road and rail transport authorities) are not civil servants. The Civil Service is also sometimes incorrectly referred to as the administration, but, properly speaking, the administration is the compound of public administrations and public administrative establishments, not their employees.
About half of the civil servants are employed in the French public education system
.
Most employment positions in the French civil service are open to citizens of the European Union
. Others, especially in police
and justice, are specifically reserved for nationals, while a minority are open regardless of citizenship.
Technically, fonction publique may also refer to fonction publique militaire, the personnel of military
status. They are generally counted apart. There also exist ouvriers d'État - that is, State Workers - for industrial functions.
(grades) (called classes in certain corps). Corps are grouped in 3 categories (formerly 4) named A to C, in decreasing order of educational knowledge theoretically required, A meaning "college graduate". For instance, the corps of professors of the universities is a category A corps divided into 3 classes, in increasing order of seniority: second class (equivalent to an American associate professor), first class (full professor), exceptional class (leading full professor in his area). Generally, to avoid rank inflation, the number of civil servants in the higher ranks (especially "exceptional class") is contrained by a maximal percentage of the total number of civil servants of the corps. Each corps has a set of possible job or task descriptions and may have its own particular statutes.
Other French Civil Services have different organisations ; for instance the Fonction Publique Territoriale is not divided between rigid "corps" but between "cadres d'emploi" (type of job).
High-level administrative positions are typically paid much less than the equivalent positions in private industries. However, members of great Corps often practice pantouflage
— that is, they take temporarily (and sometimes permanent) leaves from government work and go work in industry. Occasionally, people from a ministry supervising some industry would later go to work in that same industry; this practice was later prohibited. Pantouflage however still exists, and the cozyness between some industrial, political and administrative circles is regularly denounced.
Members of the great administrative corps are well represented in politics
. This is facilitated by civil servants (of any level) being able to exerce elected office on a temporary leave (détachement) from government.
In certain exceptional cases, certain aspects of the private life of a civil servant may be termed incompatible with his functions. For instance, it is inappropriate for a member of the police
or the judiciary
to live with a delinquent partner or a prostitute. Appreciation of what is appropriate or not is largely a matter of case law
.
Generally speaking, a civil servant should always refrain from enunciating personal opinions in a manner that can be construed as expressing the official opinion of the French government or a public institution. Obviously, this is more of a matter for the higher managerial positions. Agents operating abroad should be especially prudent. For instance, an ambassador should refrain from making any private comment on international issues.
The academic freedom
of university professor
s is a principle recognized (in theory) by the laws of the Republic, as defined by the Constitutional Council
; furthermore, statute law declares about higher education
that teachers-researchers [university professors and assistant professors], researchers and teachers are fully independent and enjoy full freedom of speech
in the course of their research
and teaching activities, provided they respect, following university traditions and the dispositions of this code, principles of tolerance and objectivity ( Education Code, L952-2).
While the hierarchical authority is normally responsible for assigning civil servants to positions and evaluating their work, certain corps of civil servants follow specific rules regarding the management, evaluation and discipline of their members. For instance, professor
s and researcher
s are evaluated by elected committees of their peers
.
. Certain positions involving the main powers of the state (e.g. Police
) are open only to French nationals. Some rare positions, e.g. university professors and researchers, are open regardless of citizenship.
As an exception to the general rules concerning workers, civil servants do not sign contracts; their situation is defined by statutory
and regulatory
dispositions, most notably the General Statute of the Civil Servants (Statut Général des Fonctionnaires).
The general rule is that civil servants are recruited through competitive exams, either:
The most common method is to organize written and/or oral exams in subjects pertaining to the tasks to be accomplished. For certain positions, such as professor
ships in universities, the exam, organized locally for each position or each set of similar positions, consists in the submission of a file listing the professional qualifications and experience of the candidate, followed by an interview.
In all cases, a committee ranks candidates by order of preference; the positions are filled by the candidates accepting them called in that order of preference.
For some top managerial positions, nominations are at the discretion of the executive
.
High level nominations are made by the President of the Republic in the council of ministers. The rest are by the head of the agency they belong to, or by a minister; in fact, they are in general appointed by some person who has received from the head of agency or minister the authority to do so.
The traitement is for most civil servants fixed by multiply an index by the value of the index point in Euro
s. The value of the index point is set by the executive and is raised regularly to compensate for inflation
. The index depends on the corps, rank and seniority in rank (échelon).
In the case of high-level civil servants known as hors échelle, the corps, rank and seniority correspond to a letter code (e.g. A1, E2, G); the corresponding yearly pay can then be looked up in tables set by the executive. For instance, the topmost traitement, corresponding to pay grade G, is 82737.67€ per year, starting 1 July 2009.
There are special rules for the pays of elected officials and government ministers.
(1) Including 12,000 young employees on limited time contracts.
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
.
Not all employees of the state and public institutions or corporations are civil servants; however, the media often incorrectly equate "government employee" or "employee of a public corporation" with fonctionnaire. For instance, most employees of RATP and SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
(road and rail transport authorities) are not civil servants. The Civil Service is also sometimes incorrectly referred to as the administration, but, properly speaking, the administration is the compound of public administrations and public administrative establishments, not their employees.
About half of the civil servants are employed in the French public education system
Education in France
The French educational system is highly centralized, organized, and ramified. It is divided into three different stages:* the primary education ;* secondary education ;...
.
Most employment positions in the French civil service are open to citizens of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Others, especially in police
French National Police
The National Police , formerly the Sûreté Nationale, is one of two national police forces and the main civil law enforcement agency of France, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns. The other main agency is the military Gendarmerie, with primary jurisdiction in smaller towns and rural...
and justice, are specifically reserved for nationals, while a minority are open regardless of citizenship.
Divisions
The Civil Service is divided into:- the civil service of the State (fonction publique de l'État, see particular statutes);
- the judiciary (magistrature) (see particular statutes);
- the civil service of public hospitals (fonction publique hospitalière, see particular statutes);
- the civil service of local governments (fonction publique territoriale, see particular statutes).
Technically, fonction publique may also refer to fonction publique militaire, the personnel of military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
status. They are generally counted apart. There also exist ouvriers d'État - that is, State Workers - for industrial functions.
Corps and ranks
Civil servants of the State are divided into corps (administration), which may themselves be divided into ranksCommand hierarchy
A command hierarchy is a group of people committed to carrying out orders "from the top", that is, of authority. It is part of a power structure: usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part of it.-Sociology:...
(grades) (called classes in certain corps). Corps are grouped in 3 categories (formerly 4) named A to C, in decreasing order of educational knowledge theoretically required, A meaning "college graduate". For instance, the corps of professors of the universities is a category A corps divided into 3 classes, in increasing order of seniority: second class (equivalent to an American associate professor), first class (full professor), exceptional class (leading full professor in his area). Generally, to avoid rank inflation, the number of civil servants in the higher ranks (especially "exceptional class") is contrained by a maximal percentage of the total number of civil servants of the corps. Each corps has a set of possible job or task descriptions and may have its own particular statutes.
Other French Civil Services have different organisations ; for instance the Fonction Publique Territoriale is not divided between rigid "corps" but between "cadres d'emploi" (type of job).
Great corps of the State
Certain corps enjoying particular prestige are called "the great corps of the State" http://www.vie-publique.fr/decouverte-institutions/institutions/administration/acteurs/quels-sont-grands-corps-etat.html:- Great technical corps of the State, consisting of engineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s, generally recruited through École PolytechniqueÉcole PolytechniqueThe École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
(also through the écoles normales supérieuresÉcole Normale SupérieureThe École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
). In practice, they are more likely to be employed in executive positions than in purely technical positions.- Corps of MinesCorps of Mines (France)The Corps of Mines is the foremost of the great technical corps of the French state. It is formed of the State Engineers of the Mines...
, fused with the Corps of Telecommunications in 2009 - Corps of Bridges, Waters and ForestsCorps of Bridges and Roads (France)The Corps of Bridges is a great technical corps of the French state. It is formed of the State Engineers of the Bridges.People entering the Corps are educated at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées...
, fused with the Corps of Waters and Forests in 2009 - Corps of INSEECorps of INSEE (France)The Corps of INSEE is a great technical corps of the French state. It is formed of the public servant Administrateurs de l'INSEE who on majority work for INSEE or in the French Ministry of Economy....
- Corps of Mines
- Great administrative corps of the State, generally recruited through the École Nationale d'AdministrationÉcole nationale d'administrationThe École Nationale d'Administration , one of the most prestigious of French graduate schools , was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratise access to the senior civil service. It is now entrusted with the selection and initial training of senior French officials...
- Conseil d'État
- Court of AuditorsCour des ComptesThe Court of Audit is a quasi-judicial body of the French government charged with conducting financial and legislative audits of most public institutions and some private institutions, including the central Government, national public corporations, social security agencies , and public services...
- General Inspection of FinancesGeneral Inspection of Finances (France)The General Inspection of Finances or Inspection générale des finances is an interdepartemental auditing and supervisory body in France. Its general mission is to provide oversight, audit, analysis, consulting, and evaluation services in administrative, economic, and financial matters...
.
High-level administrative positions are typically paid much less than the equivalent positions in private industries. However, members of great Corps often practice pantouflage
Pantouflage
The term pantouflage refers to a practice by which high-level French civil servants, usually former students of the École Polytechnique or the École nationale d'administration, obtain work in private enterprise. In use, the term can be applied to all civil servants, not just those who attain...
— that is, they take temporarily (and sometimes permanent) leaves from government work and go work in industry. Occasionally, people from a ministry supervising some industry would later go to work in that same industry; this practice was later prohibited. Pantouflage however still exists, and the cozyness between some industrial, political and administrative circles is regularly denounced.
Members of the great administrative corps are well represented in politics
Politics of France
France is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of France is head of state and the Prime Minister of France is the head of government, and there is a pluriform, multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is...
. This is facilitated by civil servants (of any level) being able to exerce elected office on a temporary leave (détachement) from government.
Duties
Civil servants have duties; failure to carry them out may result in disciplinary action, up to discharge. The main duties are:Full commitment to professional activity
A civil servant should devote his full professional activity to his appointed task. By exception, a civil servant may in addition to his regular activities write books; he may also accomplish certain tasks (teaching...) with the permission of his hierarchical supervisor.Morality
One cannot be a civil servant if one has been convicted of a crime incompatible with one's functions.In certain exceptional cases, certain aspects of the private life of a civil servant may be termed incompatible with his functions. For instance, it is inappropriate for a member of the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
or the judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
to live with a delinquent partner or a prostitute. Appreciation of what is appropriate or not is largely a matter of case law
Case law
In law, case law is the set of reported judicial decisions of selected appellate courts and other courts of first instance which make new interpretations of the law and, therefore, can be cited as precedents in a process known as stare decisis...
.
Reserve
A civil servant should not, by his actions and especially by his declarations, cause harm to institutions.Generally speaking, a civil servant should always refrain from enunciating personal opinions in a manner that can be construed as expressing the official opinion of the French government or a public institution. Obviously, this is more of a matter for the higher managerial positions. Agents operating abroad should be especially prudent. For instance, an ambassador should refrain from making any private comment on international issues.
The academic freedom
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
of university professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s is a principle recognized (in theory) by the laws of the Republic, as defined by the Constitutional Council
Constitutional Council of France
The Constitutional Council is the highest constitutional authority in France. It was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958, and its duty is to ensure that the principles and rules of the constitution are upheld.Its main activity is to rule on whether proposed...
; furthermore, statute law declares about higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
that teachers-researchers [university professors and assistant professors], researchers and teachers are fully independent and enjoy full freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
in the course of their research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
and teaching activities, provided they respect, following university traditions and the dispositions of this code, principles of tolerance and objectivity ( Education Code, L952-2).
Hierarchical obedience
A civil servant must accomplish the orders given by his hierarchical supervisor, unless those orders are evidently illegal and contrary to public interest.While the hierarchical authority is normally responsible for assigning civil servants to positions and evaluating their work, certain corps of civil servants follow specific rules regarding the management, evaluation and discipline of their members. For instance, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s and researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
s are evaluated by elected committees of their peers
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
.
Professional discretion
Civil servants must not reveal private or secret information that they have gained in the course of their duties.Neutrality
Civil servant must be neutral with respect to the religious or political opinions, origin, or sex, and should refrain from expressing their own opinions.Recruitment and career
Most positions are open to citizens of the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Certain positions involving the main powers of the state (e.g. Police
French National Police
The National Police , formerly the Sûreté Nationale, is one of two national police forces and the main civil law enforcement agency of France, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns. The other main agency is the military Gendarmerie, with primary jurisdiction in smaller towns and rural...
) are open only to French nationals. Some rare positions, e.g. university professors and researchers, are open regardless of citizenship.
As an exception to the general rules concerning workers, civil servants do not sign contracts; their situation is defined by statutory
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
and regulatory
Regulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
dispositions, most notably the General Statute of the Civil Servants (Statut Général des Fonctionnaires).
The general rule is that civil servants are recruited through competitive exams, either:
- external, reserved to competitors fulfilling certain conditions of diplomaDiplomaA diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
s and age; - internal, reserved to civil servants in certain positions;
- external, reserved to competitors having certain professional experience and age.
The most common method is to organize written and/or oral exams in subjects pertaining to the tasks to be accomplished. For certain positions, such as professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
ships in universities, the exam, organized locally for each position or each set of similar positions, consists in the submission of a file listing the professional qualifications and experience of the candidate, followed by an interview.
In all cases, a committee ranks candidates by order of preference; the positions are filled by the candidates accepting them called in that order of preference.
For some top managerial positions, nominations are at the discretion of the executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
.
High level nominations are made by the President of the Republic in the council of ministers. The rest are by the head of the agency they belong to, or by a minister; in fact, they are in general appointed by some person who has received from the head of agency or minister the authority to do so.
Pay
The pay of a civil servant is composed of:- a base pay known as traitement
- possible overtime pay
- possible bonuses, which depend on the particular job assignment and possibly of the individual worker.
The traitement is for most civil servants fixed by multiply an index by the value of the index point in Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s. The value of the index point is set by the executive and is raised regularly to compensate for inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
. The index depends on the corps, rank and seniority in rank (échelon).
In the case of high-level civil servants known as hors échelle, the corps, rank and seniority correspond to a letter code (e.g. A1, E2, G); the corresponding yearly pay can then be looked up in tables set by the executive. For instance, the topmost traitement, corresponding to pay grade G, is 82737.67€ per year, starting 1 July 2009.
There are special rules for the pays of elected officials and government ministers.
Statistics
On December 31, 1999, official statistics give for the state civil service:Ministries | Civil servants | Ouvriers EVY | Other civilian employees | Military personnel | Total |
Foreign affairs Minister of Foreign Affairs (France) Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs ), is France's foreign affairs ministry, with the headquarters located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris close to the National Assembly of France. The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of France is the cabinet minister responsible for... | 7 159 | 150 | 6 767 | 974 | 15 050 |
Agriculture | 29 724 | 34 | 8 316 | 23 | 38 097 |
Veteran affairs | 1 934 | 76 | 337 | 20 | 2 367 |
Cooperation with foreign countries | 1 851 | 1 660 | 585 | 4 096 | |
Culture | 12 212 | 2 532 | 14 744 | ||
Defense Minister of Defence (France) The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs is the French government cabinet member charged with running the military of France.... | 33 324 | 49 763 | 7 979 | 318 057 | 409 123 |
Economy, finances and industry Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry (France) The Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment , or Minister of Finance for short, is one of the most prominent positions in the cabinet of France after the Prime Minister.... | 187 728 | 739 | 16 005 | 348 | 204 820 |
National education Minister of National Education (France) The Ministry of National Education, Youth, and Sport , or simply "Minister of National Education," as the title has changed no small number of times in the course of the Fifth Republic) is the French government cabinet member charged with running France's public educational system and with the... | 942 651 | 96 487 | 4 | 1 039 142 | |
Employment and solidarity | 22 928 | 7 158 | 22 | 30 108 | |
Higher education | 117 411 | 8 | 17 088 | 134 507 | |
Equipment, housing, transportation | 95 797 | 9 508 | 11 359 | 547 | 117 211 |
Interior Minister of the Interior (France) The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes... (including police Police The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force... ) | 161 978 | 1 593 | 20 410 (1) | 34 | 184 015 |
Youth and sports | 6 411 | 4 093 | 10 504 | ||
Justice Minister of Justice (France) The Ministry of Justice is controlled by the French Minister of Justice , a top-level cabinet position in the French government. The current Minister of Justice is Michel Mercier... | 61 232 | 4 764 | 2 | 65 998 | |
Overseas affairs | 2 171 | 468 | 865 | 3 504 | |
Research | 20 | 9 041 | 9 061 | ||
Services of the prime minister Prime Minister of France The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic... | 1 367 | 666 | 1 127 | 3 160 | |
Total | 1 685 898 | 62 537 | 215 591 | 321 481 | 2 285 507 |
(1) Including 12,000 young employees on limited time contracts.