Interview Philippe Steck

What are the CNAF’s strengths in the area of cooperation?

The family branch of France’s social security system pays out about €60 billion each year in benefits – roughly 60% of all expenditure in support of families. The CNAF also handles the biggest social security system budget for social welfare programmes (about €3.4 billion) and administers three of France’s nine minimum income programmes: the guaranteed minimum income (RMI), the single parent’s allowance (API) and the disabled adult’s allowance (AAH).
CNAF’s main strengths in the area of international cooperation are its "outputs" and know-how. On the outputs side, there are the minimum income programmes and the policies in favour of the arrival of a new child - schemes that are coveted abroad and particularly in the demographically challenged parts of the developed world like most of Europe, Japan and South Korea. On the know how front, I would mention our highly advanced information systems, a highly rigorous regulatory process (the ability to issue new legislation accompanied by the appropriate measures and accounting provisions) and a monitoring policy, recently enhanced by the introduction of data mining. Other noteworthy features are our policy of ensuring access to benefits (informing people of their entitlement to benefits, techniques for non-severance of benefits, etc.), our emphasis on staff training and the system of agreements with the state, whereby the CNAF commits to improving services and economic performance.

Can you give some examples of CNAF’s activities in the area of cooperation?

Under the TACIS programmes for example, we have worked on a major project in Russia to set up a minimum income scheme in three different regions of that country. The project involved input from a whole team of experts and addressed the legal framework, the computer system and the implementation of the scheme on the ground.
Another example is CNAF’s participation in a twinning initiative with Romania organised by the French Ministry of Health and Solidarity. We have also provided assistance in response to Romania’s wish to set up several new entities - an agency responsible for the payment of family and social security benefits, a general inspectorate modelled on France’s Igas – and a social observatory.
In Africa there is the example of Senegal where we are helping to set up a software program to improve service to the public.

What are your expectations of GIP SPSI?

The GIP is potentially a new key player in the area of social welfare and health care. It has a crucial role to play in “ferreting out” and identifying the big topics that will need to be addressed in the different parts of the globe in the coming years. The GIP can thus help the French service offering to anticipate new needs and demands. I’m talking about growing issues such as lone parents (very prevalent in South America) and the question of worker mobility and its implications for social welfare. But there are no doubt even more fundamental issues to be explored.
Where the CNAF can help the GIP, is in assessing the strengths of the family branch in order to adapt the requests for assistance and our service offering. Without denying the role of chance in matching supply and demand, there is room for regulation in this area.
Lastly we can’t overlook the 2001 budget reform (LOLF) and the priorities set by the French Government.
When all’s said and done, greater coordination will allow the actions of the various stakeholders to be better organised and structured.