End clap for Élisabeth Borne. The 62-year-old polytechnician was the twenty-fifth to occupy the post of Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic. She is also the second woman to achieve this very high position. She thus joins the “very exclusive club of ex-PMs”. But unlike her predecessors, the former Prime Minister submitted her resignation.
She thus renounces the decoration of grand officer of the Legion of Honor which is given to each Prime Minister who has been in office for at least two years, reports an article from BFMBusiness. But the former head of government, unlike what happens in private law during a resignation, does not leave empty-handed. And, contrary to legend, former government leaders do not receive lifetime pensions.
Once they leave and for three months, monthly compensation of 14,910 euros is paid to them, making a total of 44,730 euros. And no matter the duration of the stay at Matignon: Bernard Cazeneuve, last Prime Minister of François Hollande, who only remained in this post for 5 months and 4 days, is entitled to the same considerations, points out an article in the newspaper Ouest-France.
Provided for by the ordinances of November 17, 1958, this compensation even covered a period of six months before a modification of the ordinance in 2013, recalls BFM on its site. However, the Prime Minister must meet two conditions in order to benefit from it: not exercising any paid activity during the three months following his departure and not providing a correct declaration of assets and interests to the High Authority for the transparency of public life.
As a reminder, in office, a Prime Minister receives, not a salary strictly speaking, but a monthly salary. That is, €14,910 gross per month since 2012. Salaries which were reduced by 30% under the Hollande presidency, in 2012. Then, at the end of 2018, in the midst of the yellow vest crisis, Emmanuel Macron and the members of the executive had decided not to benefit from the increase granted to all civil servants on January 1, 2019, returns Ouest-France.
But then, what actually happens once you leave Matignon? Do ex-Prime Ministers benefit from a special pension?
Once again, let’s put an end to fantasies on this subject: “No, Prime Ministers and Ministers, once they leave Matignon, do not benefit from a lifelong retirement.” And leaving Matignon does not necessarily mean retiring. Depending on their age, Prime Ministers generally quickly return to an active life after a break. By pursuing a political life, or in civil society.
Élisabeth Borne, who was also head of RATP in a previous life, has not yet said what she plans to do next. She could, in fact, regain her seat as deputy for the 6th district of Calvados. As such, the former tenant of the Matignon hotel can benefit from compensation of €731 per month which is thus allocated to a retired Prime Minister who had parliamentary functions, as well as an additional €400 from the first term, with each re-election increasing their rights.
In all cases, and even if the pension is not received for life, advantages accompany the retirement of ex-Prime Ministers. Here they are.
Apart from their monetary remuneration, a former head of government continues to enjoy several advantages after his departure from Matignon. For a maximum period of ten years and until they turn 67 since a 2019 amendment, they can continue to benefit from: a personal secretary and a driver, while fuel costs are also covered under of a decree of 1997. Finally, “particularly exposed by his past functions, the outgoing head of government benefits from a police protection system coordinated by the Protection Service of the Ministry of the Interior (SDPL)”, indicates the Capital magazine.
Christophe Castaner, then Minister of the Interior, was questioned four years ago about the total cost that these various advantages of former Prime Ministers represented for the state coffers, reports an article from BFMFBusiness. For the year 2019, the bill thus exceeded 2.8 million euros, including 1.65 million euros in payroll to which are added some 985,000 euros in overtime. Mission costs: transport, accommodation, catering, fuel and tolls represented 117,000 euros. A bill that has continued to grow with the departures of three Prime Ministers in the space of three and a half years: Edouard Philippe, Jean Castex and Elisabeth Borne recently…