REPORTAGE
"Ladies and gentlemen nothing is forbidden". Édouard Philippe was reassuring at the inauguration of the Citizen's Convention for the climate Friday at the Economic and Social Council. Before the 150 citizens drawn by lot, he praised a form of participatory democracy unpublished. This Convention was announced by Emmanuel Macron after the crisis of "yellow vests", triggered, initially, by a possible increase of the carbon tax on fuels. Citizens have until January to address a thorny question: how to reduce by at least 40% greenhouse gas emissions by 2030?
"There is no magic money"
The citizens chosen by chance did not hide their fears and doubts, particularly on Emmanuel Macron's promise to examine all their proposals without a filter. Edouard Philippe has also played the caution: "I can not promise you that all your proposals will be applied.You have not turned into deputies and senators.And they are the ones who have to make the law, because we We are in a democracy, what we are committed to doing is to transmit your proposals to the legislature ". Another warning from the Prime Minister: citizens will have to explain how to finance their proposals. "There is no magic money," said Philippe.
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In the audience, a woman promised the Prime Minister, former executive of Areva, that the Convention was going to engage on the nuclear issue. "We're going to talk about diesel, we'll talk about all that, I think, but nuclear power does not have any impact on the greenhouse effect either." And Edward Philippe replied: "The question you are asking is a sacred question, a real question, but what do you propose collectively?"
Citizen Convention to provide answers by January. If it can prove itself, the Prime Minister assures it: there will be others.