The courts and prisons in the Ministry of Justice's real estate portfolio, which covers 5.5 million sq. m and is valued at €10 billion, contribute directly to the public service of justice.
Faced with considerable demands and the growing cost of the public-private partnership (PPP) rents it has taken on in recent years, the Ministry of Justice finds itself in a challenging financial position. Furthermore, analysis of current PPPs shows that this arrangement is not well suited to the ongoing need to adapt the Ministry’s real estate portfolio.
The Cour recommends that the Ministry of Justice’s real estate strategy is written into a multi-year planning law and that it eschews PPPs in favour of public sector design-build contracts for the construction of new prisons.