Government proposes renaming and expanding powers of France's public integrity authority

France is preparing legislation that would transform the Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique into the Haute Autorité pour l’intégrité publique, reflecting a shift from mere transparency to broader integrity safeguards. The authority submitted a detailed assessment to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu in early June, recommending the name change and an expansion of its duties accumulated over the past twelve years.

President Jean Maïa emphasized that transparency serves as a means, whereas integrity is the end objective. While the full text of the bill remains undisclosed, preliminary reports indicate an enlargement of the agency's powers without a corresponding boost in personnel resources. The proposal has sparked concern among current members about workload and capacity. The initiative follows the agency's creation in 2014 after the Cahuzac scandal.