Head of TotalEnergies says EU may wish to consider its own DOGE programme

PARIS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Patrick Pouyanne, the chairman and chief executive of TotalEnergies TTEF.PA, said on Friday that the European Union may wish to consider its own DOGE government downsizing programme, like the one underway in the United States.

Many critics of the European Union say its bureaucratic processes hold back the bloc compared to the United States and China, which have faster growing economies.

"I don't know if we need a DOGE programme, all these civil servants....It's a question, can Europeans really re-think their own model?" said Pouyanne, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations.

U.S. President Donald Trump has made the Department of Government Efficiency one of his key policies, with Elon Musk overseeing the cost-cutting programme.