La jurisprudence budgétaire du Conseil constitutionnel
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Abstract EN:
The constitutionnal control of parliament acts established by the constitution of 1958 has helped on completing the state of law in france. The decisions of the constitutionnal council in budgetary and financial matters for twenty five years have been very extensive and influential. These decisions have transformed in depth the french budgetary law specially concerning the form and content of the finance bill, the regularity of budgetary process in parliament and the admissibility of financial amendments by members of parliament. Till then, this budgetary law had remained rather static, the only evolution resulting from the growing state intervention in economic life and from stronghthening executive power in institutionnal life. The influence of these decisions has been decisive. The technicity of financial and budgetary matters has urged the constitutionnal judges to make their methods more precise and, due to the growing number of decisions, the constitutionnal council made them more coherent in such a way that a "global constitutionnal policy in budgetary matters" exist now. Basically, from a legal viewpoint. These decisions have clarified eventually the traditionnal debate on the legal regime of the budget and they have completely renewed the budgetary law. Politically speaking, the constitutionnal judges acting as the keepers of what we could call a "budgetary raison d'etat", has striven also to settle in a balanced way the budgetary and financial disputes which have arisen in the french political life. So, budget has been one of priviledged field of intervention by the constitutionnal council for twenty five years. First of all, the council has succeeded in becoming one of the most essential institution of the fifth republic, but also has turned out to act as a real and respected judge.
Abstract FR:
L'apparition d'un controle de constitutionnalite des lois en 1958 a "paracheve la construction en france de l'etat de droit". Dans les domaines budgetaire et financier, la jurisprudence du conseil constitutionnel s'est averee depuis vingt-cinq ans particulierement abondante et instructive. Cette jurisprudence - dans les domaines du controle de la procedure d'elaboration des lois de finances, des regles de presentation du budget, du droit de la recevabilite financiere. . . - a transforme en profondeur le droit budgetaire francais jusqu'alors relativement statique, ou n'evoluant guere que sous la pression croissante de l'interventionnisme economique et financier de l'administration. Les portees de cette jurisprudence sont considerables. La complexi- te du controle de constitutionnalite en matiere budgetaire a con- duit le juge a affiner ses methodes juridictionnelles et la multiplication des saisines financieres - surtout depuis la reforme constitutionnelle de 1974 - a accelere la formation d'une architec- ture jurisprudentielle d'ensemble. Plus fondamentalement, au plan juridique, cette jurisprudence a non seulement permis de clarifier definitivement le debat historique relatif au statut juridique du budget, mais elle a surtout donne une formidable impulsion au droit budgetaire. Au plan politique, le juge constitutionnel qui s'est fait le gardien d'une certaine !raison budgetaire d'etat", s'attache egalement - surtout depuis 1974 - a gerer de maniere equilibree les conflits a caractere budgetaire et financier qui surgissent regulierement sur l'echiquier institutionnel francais. Le domaine budgetaire a constitue depuis un quart de siecle l'un des terrains d'expression privilegie du conseil constitutionnel, ou il a su s'affirmer en tant que juge au sens strict du terme, tout en apprenant a gerer son destin en tant qu'institution essen- tielle de la cinquieme republique.