Real estate: François Bayrou attacks the colossal “unproductive” heritage of the State

In the first of the two action plans unveiled by the Prime Minister this Tuesday, July 15 to find 40 billion euros in savings, is a better “mastery” of public real estate. This, via the creation of a public property. Two senators recently filed a bill in this sense.

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“Make it useful” State real estate assets “unproductive”. This is one of the objectives of François Bayrou. During its communication on the means of finding 40 billion euros in savings in a context of very degraded public finances, this Tuesday, July 15, the Prime Minister announced “The creation of a land company to reduce, manage, make useful heritage unproductive, for example to finance research”. There is something to do. “The State has several hundred billions of euros in wealth”said the head of government. “The scope of the state’s real estate assets is considerable compared to other European countries”had underlined the deputy Horizons François Jolivet, during the presentation of a report on state real estate in the National Assembly, last November. The State’s housing stock has some 200,000 buildingsfor about 95 million square meters surface, against around 60 million square meters in Germany. A heritage whose valuation would exceed 70 billion euros.

A park “remarkably valued “ In 2023, the Ministry of the Economy had estimated in April 2024, reporting an increase of 37% of the amount of real estate transfers that year, compared to 2022, corresponding to a surface reduction of 203,000 square meters. In 2023, 645 properties of the state had thus been sold, for a total gain of 279 million euros. It was a question of “The best year since 2019, in a context of real estate market yet degraded”Bercy said. Among the notable sales of 2023 were the former school of architecture in La Défense, sold for 11 million euros and a holiday center in Saint-Raphaël, for 9 million. An assessment reflecting the implementation of the objectives of the state real estate policy, in particular the 25% reduction in office areas by 2032.

Transfer state real estate to a property

The Court of Auditors had shown itself less praise, in a report published on December 7, 2023. For the past fifteen years, state real estate policy has been revolving around two axes: rationalization of the park and taking climate change into account. “These objectives have to date present disappointing results»»tackle the Court of Auditors, believing that “The rationalization of surfaces has only progressed, that the Office occupation ratio has not improved and that the inter -ministerial pooling of buildings remains low”. Moreover, “there energy renovation Buildings, difficult to assess, has not been inscribed in a multi -year strategy and the encrypted objectives have added to then pushed back over time ”rumbled the courtyard. And add that “Other regulations – in terms of accessibility, asbestos removal and health status – also accuse delays and deficiencies»». The Court of Auditors concluded that “State real estate therefore sees a wall of upgrading and investment which requires a response that is not the subject of an explicit strategy”.

She had then identified several evolution scenarios, including “The most reforming” proposed to transfer the ownership of state real estate to one or more darknessexternal to the administration but held by the State and subject to its control, which would charge real rents to the occupying ministries. A scenario that would benefit from being priority applied to the office park, then in a second time to the accommodation, indicated the court. “Many set up of such land proven themselves at the national level (La Poste and the SNCF) as international (Netherlands, Denmark, Finland) ”underline the Senators Corinne Bourcier and Emmanuel Capus, in the presentation of the reasons for a bill deposited in the Senate on July 11, aimed at “Rationalize the management of the State’s building stock” Via the creation, precisely, of a property of state. “The ministerial services would thus become tenants of the spaces they occupy, forcing them to rationalize the occupied surfaces”argue the two parliamentarians.

A public property project already mentioned in the 2025 budget

This project to create a property to better manage the real estate assets of the State had been the subject of a Amendment to the finance bill for 2025before the National Assembly rejects the budget revenue component. This text provided that the State Real Estate Management Agency will be transformed into an EPIC (public industrial and commercial establishment), chaired by the Director of State Real Estate (DIE), and who would be entrusted with the management of part of its real estate assets. The establishment would perceive in return for rents. “It is advisable to put the work on the profession so that this structural reform is finally adopted and produced, in the years to come, beneficial effects for all: accessibility to people with disabilities, brought up to ecological standards and budgetary savings”insist Corinne Bourcier and Emmanuel Capus.