Forty French mayors and officials request support from Europe in the ecological transition

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The Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Lyon Grégory Doucet, the Mayor of Nantes Johanna Rolland, the Mayor of Saint-Etienne Gaël Perdriau… Forty mayors and inter-municipal presidents plead in the Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD – a French weekly newspaper, published on Sundays, follows political and international news, founded in 1948) for support for Europe in the “battle” of the ecological transition. Here is their platform:

Five years after the signing in Paris of the global climate agreement at COP21, scientists are unanimously continuing to warn of the urgent need to act to stop the climate crisis. Today, its impacts are being felt everywhere, even as our territories are affected by unprecedented health, economic, and social crisis.

Aware of these threats and of our responsibility, we, local elected officials, are committed to carrying out an ambitious and socially just ecological transition in our territories, which will support every citizen and make our territories more resilient in the face of shocks. This transition must lead to stable jobs and must be compatible with better health and well-being daily.

As local elected representatives, we know where to invest as closely as possible to the citizens to convert the transitional measures into concrete actions. But we cannot do it alone. In this battle, Europe must be by our side, support and accompany our actions in the territories. The hundreds of billions of euros of the European recovery plan must be an opportunity to accelerate the ecological transition, to finance the European Green Deal, and to raise the climate ambition of our continent.

The first step is to set the course for the transition and the recovery. European leaders must adapt as quickly as possible that climate objective equals to the climate crisis. At the beginning of September, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke in favor of a reduction of at least 55% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. On October 7, the European Parliament has gone further by adopting a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 in the European climate law. This goal is achievable and desirable. We call on the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to tirelessly carry this ambition for citizens and the planet during the European summit on October 15 and 16. More than a number, this objective is a compass for transforming daily life in Europe, France, and our territories.

Then, the plans announced to revive our economy will have to be used coherently in order to realize this ambition. Not a euro should be wasted on projects that are harmful to the environment or that would create a risk for citizens. On the contrary, recovery plans, both European and French, must focus on ecological and social transition and be part of the territories.

This local anchoring is essential but requires financial and human resources today largely undersized. We ask that the European and national recovery plans act without delay in targeted investments for the transition projects carried by the territories and support their operation. As close as possible to the aspirations of citizens, we take our share of responsibility in building a future that is more resilient, safer, and more respectful of the climate and the environment. Are Europe and the government also ready to do their part?

 

The petitioners:

Alain Anziani, president of Bordeaux Métropole; Benoît Arrivé, mayor of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin; François Astorg, mayor of Annecy; Patrick Barbier, Mayor of Muttersholtz; Jeanne Barseghian, mayor of Strasbourg; Christophe Bechu, mayor of Angers; Olivier Bianchi, mayor of Clermont-Ferrand, president of Clermont Auvergne Métropole; Michel Bisson, president of Grand Paris Sud; Jean-François Caron, mayor of Loos-en-Gohelle; François Cuillandre, mayor of Brest and president of Brest Métropole; Jean-Marc Defrémont, mayor of Savigny-Sur-Orge; Michaël Delafosse, mayor of Montpellier and president of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole; Jean-Luc Delpeuch, president of the Community of communes of Clunisois; Emmanuel Denis, mayor of Tours; Grégory Doucet, mayor of Lyon; Christophe Ferrari, president of Grenoble Alpes Métropole; Jean-François Fountaine, president of the La Rochelle Agglomeration Community; Bertrand Gonin, mayor of Évreux; Morgan Griffond, mayor of Saint-Pierre-la-Palud; Jean-Sébastien Guitton, Mayor of Orvault; Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris; Pierre Hurmic, mayor of Bordeaux; Florence Jardin, president of the Urban Community of Grand Poitiers; Mathieu Klein, mayor of Nancy; Frédéric Leturque, mayor of Arras and president of the Urban Community of Arras; Emile-Roger Lombertie, mayor of Limoges; Line Magne, mayor of Moissy-Cramayel; Alain Matheron, Community of communes of Diois; Michel Maya, mayor of Tramayes; Léonore Moncond’huy, mayor of Poitiers; Jean-Luc Mourenx, mayor of Toulouse; Gaël Perdriau, president of Saint-Etienne Métropole; Jacques Pallas, mayor of Saint-Georges-sur-Arnon; Eric Piolle, mayor of Grenoble; Laurent Riche, mayor of Kingersheim; Stéphane Raffali, mayor of Ris-orangis; Arnaud Robinet, mayor of Reims; Johanna Rolland, mayor of Nantes and president of Nantes Métropole; Clément Rossignol Puech, mayor of Bègles; Catherine Vautrin, president of the Greater Reims Urban Community; Pierre Verri, mayor of Gières; Anne Vignot, mayor of Besançon, president of Grande Besançon Métropole; Cédric Van Styvendael, Mayor Villeurbanne; Nathalie Appéré, mayor of Rennes and president of Rennes Métropole Rennes; Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, mayor of Rouen and President of the Rouen Normandie metropolitan area, mayor of Bègles; Catherine Vautrin, president of the Greater Reims Urban Community; Pierre Verri, mayor of Gières; Anne Vignot, mayor of Besançon, president of Grande Besançon Métropole; Cédric Van Styvendael, Mayor Villeurbanne; Nathalie Appéré, mayor of Rennes and president of Rennes Métropole Rennes; Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, Mayor of Rouen and President of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis. mayor of Bègles; Catherine Vautrin, president of the Greater Reims Urban Community; Pierre Verri, mayor of Gières; Anne Vignot, mayor of Besançon, president of Grande Besançon Métropole; Cédric Van Styvendael, Mayor Villeurbanne; Nathalie Appéré, mayor of Rennes and president of Rennes Métropole Rennes; Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, mayor of Rouen and President of the Rouen Normandie metropolitan area.

photo: Vinny Burgoo / CC BY-SA