the director of the Strasbourg vacationer workplace was sentenced by the Court docket of Auditors

The Alsatian Christmas market that moved to New York in December 2019 attracted 265,000 guests, a “great success” in line with the Strasbourg vacationer workplace. Nevertheless it was very costly and revealed failures and irregularities within the prices incurred. The director on the time, Patrice Geny, was fined 1,500 euros by the Court docket of Auditors in a call made public on July 2, 2024.

The Strasbourg vacationer workplace was relying on sturdy industrial and vacationer advantages by shifting the Christmas market from Strasbourg to New York in December 2019. However in the long run the prices had been primarily recognized by Court docket of Auditors, prices not revered. code of monetary jurisdictions.

Patrice Geny, director of the Strasbourg vacationer workplace from 1994 to June 2024, was fined 1,500 euros for not respecting this code of monetary jurisdictions, particularly when the Christmas market was moved to New York in 2019, but additionally actions like “Strasbourg mon amour” in 2019 and the commemoration of the Nice Warfare in November 2018.

Throughout these three occasion actions, he’s accused of “prices with out having energy or not having obtained a signed will” and to exceed the quantities allowed by his place and his abilities.

The positive of 1,500 euros is under the ceiling of the code of monetary jurisdictions, which may go as much as “a most quantity equal to 6 months of the individual’s annual wageThe code additional specifies: “the fines rely on the seriousness of the alleged acts, the potential repetition of prohibited practices and, the place relevant, the extent of the injury attributable to the group.”

On this case, worse situations had been discovered towards Patrice Gény, in workplace since 1994.Data and expertise of the operation of the Strasbourg vacationer workplace ought to lead him to make sure that, in all instances, the related laws are noticed.“, specifies the Court docket of Auditors in its judgment revealed publicly on July 2, 2024.

The Christmas market was held between December 6 and 22, 2019, at Bowling Inexperienced Park, on the foot of Broadway, in Manhattan (New York). It was a profitable communications operation,”Nice success” in line with the Strasbourg vacationer workplace on the time of the analysis, in February 2020. The Alsatian Christmas market moved to New York in December 2019 265,000 guests.

It’s an purpose above all to make sure the promotion of Alsace and its vacationer sights throughout the Atlantic. “This exercise is clearly a loss chief” he acknowledged Jean Rottner, president of the Grand Est area on the microphone of France 3 Alsace. Complete value, 1.2 million euros, lined by the division, public companions (together with the tourism workplace) and personal companions.

Patrice Geny then defined to France 3 Alsace, in an interview :”It’s clear that Strasbourg, Colmar and Mulhouse count on particular advantages. To make certain of this, simply have a look at the outcomes of earlier operations. When he visited Tokyo, Japan, for instance, the Strasbourg Christmas market attracted greater than 600,000 guests. Ditto in 2010. The town noticed a 62% improve in Japanese prospects within the following years. Generally, by seven strikes over the previous 10 years, the Alsatian Christmas market has reached 323 million guests. So it is a secure wager that People are following swimsuit and are extra enthusiastic about a area that brings collectively all the pieces they love: gastronomy, authenticity and French savoir vivre..”

However the Court docket of Auditors additionally took into consideration the extra prices of such operations on American soil: “this occasion, in addition to the contribution of French private and non-private companions and industrial revenue, led to a big dedication of monetary and human sources from the Strasbourg vacationer workplace. or 417,000 in complete.

She additionally sings the director who took liberties and exceeded his abilities when he created an American subsidiary to pay particular bills throughout the Atlantic. “The Strasbourg vacationer workplace needed to incur large prices for authorized and tax recommendation for the structure and operation of this firm a number of months earlier than the occasion. What’s extra[…] it’s vital to think about how he didn’t elevate the query of the duties in relation to day-to-day administration, as proven by the shortage of any doc governing this degree, as a extra severe scenario, taking into consideration the extent of duty that Mr. Patrice Geny.“.

For the operation “Strasbourg mon amour” in November 2019, the Court docket of Auditors held quantities paid by the director of the vacationer workplace above the ceiling of 30,000 euros allowed by his motion.

Already in 2023, the Court docket of Auditors form eleven reminders of the regulation and 5 suggestions to the Strasbourg vacationer workplace and he or she stated: “lIrregularities and their impression on the presence of vacationers don’t have an effect on the administration of the occasion “Strasbourg, my love” just like the one on the Christmas market in New York in December 2019.“.

Patrice Geny left her publish as director of the Strasbourg vacationer workplace on the finish of June, Sabine Bergerot-Brousse adopted him on July 1, 2024, she labored in vacationer workplaces in Lorraine and Gironde.