They got into the habit of organizing together. Three years ago, Bertrand Dumont took over Emmanuel Moulin’s office, right next to that of Bruno Le Maire, on the sixth floor of the Bercy ministers’ hotel. From now on, he succeeds him at the Treasury. As chief of staff of the ministry, this hard worker, always courteous, implemented the policy of whatever it takes and then the French responses to the inflationary crisis. This Monday, Bertrand Dumont moves only a few meters further, to take the head of one of the most powerful departments at Bercy, while Emmanuel Moulin leaves this time to assist Gabriel Attal at Matignon.
This 50-year-old senior civil servant, passionate about the 17th century, knows Bercy, where he spent most of his career, better than anyone. He began Emmanuel Macron’s first five-year term as number two in Bruno Le Maire’s close guard, leaving after a year and a half to take the position, a few offices further away, of deputy to the director of the Treasury. Formerly in Christine Lagarde’s cabinet, he also worked at the European Commission and the IMF. During these wanderings, he crossed paths several times with Alexis Kohler, the secretary general of the Élysée, with whom he became close.
The arrival of Bertrand Dumont as Le Maire’s deputy had caused a change of scenery: the office, overflowing with files on all sides at the time of Emmanuel Moulin, had suddenly become impeccably tidy. On the wall, three large black and white photos had been carefully chosen by the new tenant. They drew like a Chinese portrait of the person concerned. Perche roofs for his provincial roots, a Parisian staircase for the spheres of power, and Venetian stones for his taste for art! “I appreciate his British humor, his technical rigor and his historical depth,” described Bruno Le Maire, in a parallel triptych.
The two normaliens – the minister entered the school in 1989, the new director of the Treasury five years later – and enarques regularly have the opportunity to remember their beloved studies during official trips. The Bercy delegation thus has fond memories of visiting the Parthenon with the duo! “I am not an economist by training and I rely on the specialists of the Bercy teams on a daily basis for technical matters,” assumed Bertrand Dumont, associate professor of history, specialist in the agents of Cardinal Mazarin. That said, defining public policies is not a science. Knowing the history of France, the specificity of the territories, being attentive to ideas, understanding the people, I believe that also counts a lot. »
Those around him appreciate it. In the spheres of high administration, which can nevertheless cultivate a certain nostalgia for Mazarin’s dirty tricks, the praise seems unanimous! In his new position, Bertrand Dumont will have to lead the 1,300 Treasury agents responsible for implementing French economic policies. He will also represent Paris, alongside the minister, in numerous international bodies. Jérôme Fournel, the general director of public finances, will succeed him alongside Bruno Le Maire.
