La dépense d’administration générale pour la protection de l’environnement

In France, general administration expenditure totaled 4.3 billion euros (€ billion) in 2017. Environmental protection by general administration (excluding specific environmental sectors integrated into a dedicated account) represents the fourth largest environmental protection expenditure item in France, or 9% of the total (€49.1 billion).

This expenditure consists mainly of current spending (89%), primarily personnel costs. Investment expenditure accounts for only 11% of the total amount.

After a period of increase between 2006 and 2010, general administration expenditure has tended to stabilize in the following years. In 2017, it confirms a plateau initiated in 2016 with a growth rate of less than 1%. Current spending is the primary driver of growth in general administration expenditure.

General administration investment expenditure for environmental protection totaled €0.5 billion in 2017.

Investment comes notably from local authorities and intercommunal public cooperation establishments (EPCI) (€371 million in 2017), primarily from municipalities and their groupings. The remaining financing comes from funds allocated for environmental actions under programs of various ministerial missions (€76 million).

Since 2006, investment has been slightly upward trending, but without clear patterns. Indeed, spending by municipalities and their groupings is quite variable in this field. In 2017, investment accelerated (+13.4%) after a decline observed in 2016 (−19.0% compared to 2015). This change reflects increased investment by municipalities and their groupings in 2017 (+14.4%).

In 2017, general administration current expenditure for environmental protection totaled €3.8 billion. These expenditures include personnel costs and operating and intervention expenses that cannot be broken down among different expenditure accounts (see methodology). Personnel costs represent the largest current expenditure item (€2.0 billion in 2017).

Local authorities and EPCI are the primary contributors to general administration current expenditure financing. In 2017, local public administrations finance over half the expenditure (€2.2 billion). As with investment, municipalities and their groupings represent the bulk of expenditure financing with approximately €1.6 billion spent in 2017. The State and national public establishments finance current spending to the tune of €1.6 billion, primarily expenditure committed by ministries through their environment-related missions (€1.4 billion).

After a period of increase between 2006 and 2010, general administration current expenditure stabilized. In 2017, spending declined slightly compared to 2016 (−1.1%), due to a decrease in expenditure under ministerial mission programs aimed at protecting the environment.

In 2017, local authorities and intercommunal public cooperation establishments (EPCI) (including Water Agencies) account for 60% of general administration expenditure financing for environmental protection (€2.5 billion). Personnel costs represent half the spending of these administrations, totaling €1.3 billion in 2017.

The remaining financing is provided by central public administrations, mainly ministries (€1.5 billion). As with local authorities, personnel costs represent a large portion of financing (€0.7 billion).

The contribution of local public administrations to general administration financing for environmental protection has been increasing very slowly for several years. This contribution notably rebounded in 2017 with an increase in financing of 4.8% after the decline observed in 2016 (−6.2%). Conversely, central public administration financing has declined slowly since 2010. In 2017, this financing decreased by 5.8% compared to the previous year.

• Methodology • Covered field By convention, the concept of general administration for environmental protection encompasses all actions aimed at supporting decisions made by public governmental or non-governmental entities in the context of environmental protection activities. Some of the corresponding expenditures may be attributed to a specific environmental sector; they are then accounted for in the expenditure dedicated to that sector. However, most of these expenditures concern multiple environmental sectors simultaneously in an indivisible manner or even relate to environmental protection generally, without being attributable to a particular sector. • The concept of general administration for environmental protection covers actions undertaken by public administrations—both local (local authorities, municipal groupings, and water agencies) and central (ministries and central public establishments)—aimed at administering, regulating, and assisting in the implementation of decisions made in the context of environmental protection. • Central public administrations (APUC) APUC comprise various ministries and national public establishments. For ministries, general administration expenditure for environmental protection is identified among environmental actions in programs under various ministerial missions. Environmental protection actions depend primarily on MTES. In terms of expenditure level, the first relevant mission is 'Ecology, sustainable development and planning,' which falls under this ministry. This mission carries varied policies in the areas of road, rail and maritime transport, water, biodiversity, urban planning, energy and climate, and natural hazards. • However, programs containing environmental protection actions are often led by ministries whose primary mandate is, a priori, relatively distant from environmental concerns (agriculture, foreign affairs, defense, culture, economy, health, national education...). Thus, the 'Preparation and employment of forces' program under the Defense mission is logically led by the Defense ministry. Yet it includes actions financing water treatment and purification operations, air quality control, pollution site cleanup, wetland protection, and hazardous and non-hazardous waste collection and treatment at defense facilities. Another example: the 'Territorial interventions of the State' program under the 'Territorial policy' mission is led by Prime Minister services. It includes actions aimed at preserving water quality and biodiversity and restoring abandoned sites to natural grasslands. • Actions relating to a single environmental sector (air protection, soil, biodiversity, etc.) are excluded from general administration expenditure as they are already accounted for in previous report chapters. Similarly, expenditures of central public establishments whose activities relate to environmental protection are assigned to general administration expenditure if these establishments are not specialized in an identified environmental sector. Currently, establishments thus considered are ADEME, INERIS, and ANSES. • ADEME finances projects in varied environmental sectors: waste management, soil preservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, air quality and noise control. It is under the joint supervision of MTE and the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research. • INERIS conducts research programs on risks—both for the environment and human health—related to water, air and soil pollution. It is under the supervision of MTES. • ANSES ensures expertise and research missions on human, animal or plant health, evaluating various risks to which individuals may be exposed. It is under the joint supervision of MTES and ministries responsible for Health, Agriculture, Labor and Consumer Affairs. • Local public administrations (APUL) APUL comprise territorial authorities (municipalities, departments and regions), as well as intercommunal public cooperation establishments (EPCI) such as municipal groupings with separate tax base, multi-purpose intercommunal syndicates, single-purpose intercommunal syndicates and mixed syndicates. • In the budgets of territorial authorities and their groupings, environmental functions are defined. Among expenditures allocated to these functions, those representing cross-cutting actions or common services to multiple environmental sectors are accounted for as general administration expenditure for environmental protection. Other environmental protection expenditures by territorial authorities and their groupings, specific to a particular sector, are accounted for in previous report chapters. • Expenditures of the six water agencies are also accounted for among APUL expenditures. Although these agencies are under MTES supervision, they have essentially local competencies. They are indeed responsible for water management on their respective river basin. Besides administrative expenditures (operations, personnel,...), their expenditures accounted for under general administration for environmental protection are those related to environmental knowledge development. Their other expenditures correspond to a particular environmental sector: they finance actions for drinking water production, wastewater treatment, soil and aquatic environment pollution control, waste disposal, etc. • General administration expenditure is an aggregate measuring the financial effort made by public administrations (central and local) for environmental protection. This aggregate is evaluated 'gross,' meaning it incorporates fixed capital consumption (depreciation of invested capital). Current expenditures combine personnel, operating and intervention spending that cannot be broken down according to other environmental protection expenditure accounts. • Investment expenditures may include work undertaken by public administrations for environmental protection, land acquisitions, etc. • Data sources The calculation of general administration expenditure is based on data from various sources, particularly: • draft finance bills, and especially budget annexes and budget documents relating to various state budget missions. These documents help estimate the share of expenditure relating to general administration for environmental protection within programs of various ministerial missions and those of water agencies; • activity reports of public establishments whose activities relate to environmental protection and whose certain expenditures cover multiple environmental sectors indivisibly. Establishments currently included are ADEME, INERIS and ANSES. Other public establishments aimed at supporting projects related, among others, to environment and sustainable development emerge. • the Directorate General for Public Finance (DGFiP) and specifically public account data from: for municipalities and their groupings: M14 accounting nomenclature by function. Expenditures involved are those of function 8 (Urban development and services, environment), and particularly subfunctions 81 (Urban services) and 83 (Environment); for departments: M52 accounting nomenclature by function. Expenditures involved are those of function 7 (Development and environment), and particularly subfunction 70 (Common services); for regions: M71 accounting nomenclature by function. Expenditures involved are those of function 7 (Environment), and particularly subfunctions 70 (Common services), 71 (Cross-cutting actions) and 78 (Other actions). • Calculations for estimating fixed capital consumption also involve some data from national accounts produced by INSEE. National accounts change base: macroeconomic aggregates are modified to implement the new version of the European system of accounts, ESA 2010. These modifications cause small variations in general administration environmental protection expenditure series. • Data are available at year n + 2. • Data series relating to general administration expenditure are recalculated each year during the new update campaign. On one hand, some data still change (error corrections, late-arriving information, etc.); on the other, new elements or calculation procedures may be integrated into the account to improve quality and reliability of expenditure.