PARIS, Jan 4: French ministers are preparing to receive individual performance evaluations and find out whether they are getting the job done in the reformist government of President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The grades are to be handed out by Prime Minister Francois Fillon during meetings over the coming weeks with each of the 15 ministers in the eight-month-old government.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Friday he was unfazed by the move – a first in French politics – and was confident of making the cut.

“I will be very happy that I will finally be getting a grade because it will show that I work hard,” Kouchner told RTL radio.

But he added: “The criteria are a bit surprising”, without elaborating.

At the request of the government, a private consulting firm was brought in to develop criteria for the evaluations.

Le Monde newspaper reported that ministers would be subjected to a 30-point evaluation while junior ministers would be assessed on the basis of 15 criteria that differ for each portfolio.

Sarkozy promised during his campaign for the presidency last year to bring in performance reviews as part of a push to develop what he describes as a results-driven approach to government.

The “report cards” come amid speculation that Sarkozy may be preparing a cabinet reshuffle after municipal elections in March in which the Socialists hope to claw back some ground from the governing right.

“Politics is like any other domain and must be accountable to citizens,”government spokesman Laurent Wauquiez said on Thursday.

Opinion polls show support for Sarkozy and his government to have inched downward, even though it still remains strong.

The opposition Socialists have scoffed at the government report cards, with member of parliament Aurelie Filippetti calling the reviews “grotesque”.

“The government wants to stage a publicity stunt by creating an image of an active government, focussed entirely on results,” said Filippetti.—AFP