- The composition of the new government, a key step in Emmanuel Macron's attempt to revive the economy and his five-year term, was announced on Monday.
- At 45, Barbara Pompili becomes Minister of the Ecological Transition. A consecration for the one who was Secretary of State in charge of Biodiversity under François Hollande.
Fidelity in politics pays off. The strength of convictions too. Barbara Pompili was appointed Minister of the Ecological Transition on Monday in the new government of Jean Castex. A consecration for this 45-year-old woman who already has a fine political career behind her. Currently Member of the Somme and President of the Commission for Sustainable Development in the National Assembly, she was Secretary of State for Biodiversity under François Hollande. It was she who had the law adopted for the reconquest of biodiversity, nature and landscapes. She also co-chaired the environmental group at the National Assembly from 2012 to 2016. Former member of Europe-Ecologie Les Verts, she left the party and joined LREM in 2017.
Her appointment is also a way for the president to salute the loyalty of Barbara Pompili towards him, because she was the first minister under François Hollande to support his presidential candidacy. And since then, it has always attracted its good graces. Witness his recent tweet to salute the action of Edouard Philippe and send his congratulations to Jean Castex.
Thanks to @EPhilippePM for the work accomplished for 3 years.
The course was set by the President of the Republic: an ecological and united recovery, and new methods
Good luck to the new Prime Minister @JeanCASTEX to apply this ambitious roadmap
A very exposed position
By choosing her, Emmanuel Macron and Jean Castex also demonstrated their willingness to appoint a more identifiable personality to the post for the general public. Because Elisabeth Borne did not print in public opinion. And the fact that she is a woman is not trivial either, the government must give pride of place to parity.
But the pressure will be maximum for her, because her ministry will be one of the most exposed by the end of the five-year term. As evidenced by the rise in environmental requirements of the French, materialized a week ago by the strong breakthrough of the Greens in the municipalities, who won the town halls of Lyon, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Poitiers, Besançon or Tours.
"Ecology is now or never"
The growing weight of environmental issues in public debate imposes a green shift that the government has not yet been able to operate: ecology must now infuse into all government policies and no longer be sprinkled. Ecology is "not an option", but "an obligation", recognized on TF1 Friday Jean Castex, who wants to "accelerate" decisions, such as the fight against leaks in water networks, against the artificialisation of land, for thermal insulation, photovoltaic roofs or animal welfare. "The time has come to make a frank choice," said ex-Minister of Ecology Nicolas Hulot on Sunday. "Ecology is now or never," he said.
The pandemic has also brought to light our dependence on globalized supply chains. The French growth recovery plan should therefore be placed under the sign of the ecological and energy transition. The head of state has also promised to inject "an additional 15 billion euros over two years" for the ecological conversion of the economy.
Last longer than these predecessors
The new Minister for the Ecological Transition will also have to put to music the proposals of the Citizen's Climate Convention, notably on the energy renovation of buildings, aid to finance the purchase of an electric vehicle, a moratorium potential on installation supermarkets on the outskirts of cities, support for green industries, etc.
A challenge far from obvious to take up since Barbara Pompili will be the fourth tenant of the Ministry of Ecological Transition under the Macron era, after Elisabeth Borne, Nicolas Hulot and François de Rugy. Proof of the difficulty of the executive in stabilizing this position and in giving the incumbent minister sufficient means of action. "What I really want is that, whatever the team, the roadmap and the actions are there," she declared on France info last Thursday, when she was asked about the ecological turning point of the new government. Barbara Pompili will have to weigh in the government and show that she knows how to win battles.
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