The members of the Climate Convention, June 29, 2020 at the Elysée.

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Ludovic MARIN / AFP

In June, Emmanuel Macron had promised to keep 146 measures out of the 149 proposed by the citizens of the Citizen's Climate Convention.

Since then, some concern has been mounting over a “unraveling” of the proposals.

On Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron acknowledged for the first time that he was considering postponing certain measures, justifying it by the recession due to the Covid-19 crisis.

He spoke live in the 20 hours of TF1 and France 2. Emmanuel Macron admitted that it would be necessary "perhaps to take a little more time" for the implementation of certain proposals of the CCC, that he had himself convened following the crisis of "yellow vests".

But the President, who cited in particular the safeguard of the aviation sector, denied any “renunciation”.

Big polluters jostled by the crisis

"We are determined to lead this ecological transition (...) but this transition can only be carried out if we manage to reconcile our fellow citizens, that is to say to reassure the people who are asked for profound changes, to support sectors that are being asked for rapid changes, ”he said.

The Minister for the Ecological Transition spoke on Thursday morning on franceinfo: "These are good proposals but we will simply try to push them back a little bit in time, to apply them when the sector will have a little regained its breath », Said Barbara Pompili.

While ensuring once again that "the arbitrations are not finished on anything".

After having tried to reassure the "citizens" on the intentions of the government by receiving them in Matignon last week, the executive thus formalizes what was suggested by the music of the small sentences distilled by the ministers of Economy or Transport.

Certain sectors that are major sources of jobs, but also of pollution, the air industry and the automobile in the first place, have been too destabilized by the crisis, born from the shutdown of the economic apparatus in the face of the coronavirus, to support new constraints.

The crisis "must not become a pretext"

"We have heard the difficulties, we are not naive, we understand the issues," said Grégoire Fraty, co-president of the association "Les 150" created by participants in the CCC.

"But the crisis can last, it should not become a pretext," he told AFP.

“It is up to the government to take its responsibilities, we hope that the ambitions are still there.

And whatever happens, we will defend our proposals to the end ”.

“The only thing we ask for is transparency and clarity.

If there must be new "jokers", let it be said, we will not be happy but we prefer a frank speech.

This is what started to be done yesterday (Wednesday), we still prefer that than small sentences or inappropriate comparisons, ”he continues.

A reference to the ironic remarks of the Head of State on the “Amish” about the deployment of 5G… which the Convention was asking for.

Disillusioned "citizens"

The members of the Convention, who will have a right of reply to the measures finally adopted, are therefore still awaiting the translation of a good part of their proposals into a law expected before the end of the year.

But others see in the last words of power a new proof of its renouncements.

"All the proposals of the aviation convention are thrown in the trash, the government does not want to put any constraints on the sector", criticizes Agathe Bounfour, transport manager at the Climate Action Network.

Which recalls that airlines have already benefited in March from a moratorium on their specific taxes until the end of the year.

"One more maneuver on the part of the government not to implement the proposals" of the CCC, denounced on Twitter the boss of Greenpeace France, Jean-François Julliard.

"By researching well, our ministers will end up finding excuses to revoke the 149 measures".

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