A New First President at the French SAI
Amélie de Montchalin was appointed First President of the French Cour des comptes on February 11, 2026, by President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron. She succeeded Pierre Moscovici, who took office at the European Court of Auditors on January 1, 2026. For the first time in 219 years, the First President is a woman.
She assumed her duties at the head of the financial courts on March 2 and, by virtue of her office, also became President of the High Council of Public Finance (HCFP) and President of the Council of Mandatory Contributions (CPO).
Amélie de Montchalin stated that she fully understood the scope of the responsibilities entrusted to her: “The Cour des comptes is an institution at the heart of our democracy, and one for which citizens have high expectations. Taking the oath is thus a symbol of my full commitment to serving it and of the embodiment of its values: independence, impartiality, collegiality, and service to the public interest,” she said.
Amélie de Montchalin was installed as First President during a formal installation ceremony held on March 13, 2026, in the presence of Emmanuel Macron, members of the Government and Parliament, senior civil and military authorities, as well as representatives of foreign supreme audit institutions: Eurosai, Jurisai which the French SAI is chairing, and Aisccuf, the French-speaking SAI’s organization, of which the French SAI serves as the permanent General secretary.
After taking the magistrates’ oath, the First President then invited Véronique Hamayon, General Prosecutor, to speak. Welcoming the first all-female leadership duo at the helm of the Court, the General Prosecutor emphasized the need to consolidate the institution’s recent achievements: transparency, cohesion, professional equality, and reform of public managers’ accountability.
Then taking the floor herself, Amélie de Montchalin opened her speech by paying tribute to the “pioneers” who preceded her in the institution—from Gabrielle Grémillet, the first woman to join the Court in 1915 as a typist, to the first female chamber presidents in 2006—and expressed her delight that, as she takes office, the Court now has equal representation in its presidencies.
Placing her term under the institution’s historic motto, Dat ordinem lucendo—restoring order by shedding light—she emphasized that oversight of public funds is at the heart of democracy, before identifying three challenges that financial courts must address with determination: the threat posed by the deficit to the country’s sovereignty, the questioning of the democratic model around the world, and the proliferation of misinformation in public debate.
To address these challenges, the First President announced two immediate priorities. The first is to protect the Court’s independence, emphasizing that exemplarity and transparency are essential to building trust. The second priority is to increase the impact of the Court’s work: while commending the reform launched by her predecessor to publish 100% of the Court’s work, she emphasized that publication alone is not enough; recommendations must be actionable, costed, and better monitored over time, with more strategic planning and public reporting on progress.
The First President concluded by celebrating the strength of the Court’s collective, affirming that her term would be guided by three words: sincerity, trust, and humility.
A few days later, Amélie de Montchalin gave the President of the Republic a hard copy of the 2026 Annual Public Report – which this year focuses on regional cohesion and attractiveness – and then presented it to Parliament.
Biography of Amélie de Montchalin
A graduate of HEC Paris and Paris-Dauphine University in economics, as well as Paris IV-Sorbonne University in history, Amélie de Montchalin holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
She began her career as an economist, primarily in the financial sector.
Elected as a member of the National Assembly for Essonne in 2017 and a member of the Finance Committee, she was appointed Secretary of State for European Affairs in 2019, then Minister for Public Service Transformation and Civil Service in 2020. In 2022, she was appointed Minister of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, and later served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of France to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). She served as Minister of Public Action and Accounts from 2024 to 2026.
Since February 23, 2026, Amélie de Montchalin has served as First President of the Cour des comptes, the French supreme audit institution. She chairs the High Council of Public Finance and the Council on Compulsory Levies.
Amélie de Montchalin is married and the mother of three children.
