Interview de Jean-Baptiste Bouis

What are the main areas of expertise of ACOSS and the collection branch of the social security system?

Quite often, our foreign partners don’t even realise that the collection branch is part of the social security system. We therefore tend to receive fewer requests for assistance than the other branches – even though we offer several forms of expertise that are potentially of interest to foreign social protection organisations.
First, France has a highly efficient collection system, both in terms of performance – with a 99% collection ratio– and administrative costs.
We also have extensive experience of legal structures to support the collection of contributions, which means that we can conduct audits of regulatory systems and assist in the development of regulatory frameworks. Yet another asset is our know-how in the area of relations with contributors - customer service, telephone services, paperless procedures, as well as inspection, claims and litigation are all areas in which we have considerable expertise.
And ACOSS itself, as the umbrella organisation, has powerful tools and techniques for redistributing the funds collected, and for managing flows of funds and cash flow.

Can you give some examples of cooperation in the area of collection of contributions?

Let me give you an example of a cooperation project with a highly practical focus. We were consulted by Uruguay’s association of mutual funds (UMU) on the question of the allocation of contribution revenues among the different welfare schemes. It’s an issue with which we are well acquainted in France, since the collection branch of our social security system has the task of centralising contributions then distributing the proceeds among the different schemes. It’s a process that sounds quite straightforward but in practice is fairly complicated.
The UMU was concerned that it was not receiving its fair share of the revenue collected, a task administered by Uruguay’s national fund. An exploratory mission did indeed reveal flaws in the system and we accordingly recommended that the amounts allocated were identified at the time of collection to avoid problems at a later stage. These recommendations were adopted by the organisations concerned and appear to have given satisfaction.
Another example is Moldavia, where we took part in a World Bank-financed project to set up a health insurance system further to the collapse of the system inherited from the Soviet era. Our input focused on the collection of contributions, working in partnership with a local consultancy. We of course drew inspiration from the French collection system but took pains to adapt our know-how to fit the Moldavian context. Given that Moldavia lacks the human and financial resources to support a system devoted exclusively to collecting contributions, we proposed that this task be performed by the tax administration, and that contributions take the form of an individual, earmarked tax, so that receipts remain separate from the state budget. The proposal was very well received and earned the approval of the World Bank as the project funder.

What are your expectations of GIP SPSI?

We have high expectations of the GIP. Our branch has always been enthusiastic about international cooperation. It’s an activity that may contribute to promoting French know-how abroad and may thus have economic benefits for our country. The collection branch does not however have a business development brief and needs external assistance in this area. This is where the GIP may come into play, i.e. in furnishing that assistance and promoting the accomplishments and know-how of the French social protection players.
I also think that the GIP has a role to play in galvanizing the different social security branches and national funds. There is no doubt room for development of the international dimension. Moreover, when we think of social protection we often think solely of benefits, tending to forget the funding and collection aspects.
The holistic and cross-cutting approach of the GIP could contribute to raising the profile of the collection branch, at least in the area of international cooperation.