Paris (AFP)

The public institution "in charge of the conservation and restoration of the Notre-Dame cathedral" took office on December 1st and will meet on Tuesday its first board of directors under the presidency of General Jean-Louis Georgelin, indicated to the AFP his communication manager.

By appointing the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces to lead the reconstruction in 5 years of the cathedral destroyed in April, President Emmanuel Macron has bet on a man who would advance with the determination of a warlord this site extremely complex, especially because of its brevity.

"The 5 years, we get them by the rigor of the site, the choice of good expertise", recently assured Jean-Louis Georgelin during a hearing in the National Assembly during which he had also strongly criticized the chief architect of the cathedral by asking him not to speak about the question of a reconstruction identical or not the arrow.

Two complementary decrees, expected Tuesday morning in the Official Journal, will confirm the appointments of General Georgelin as President and Chief Executive Officer and Philippe Jost as Deputy Director General. The former chief of staff, so far "prefigurateur" of the establishment, has been able to proceed to the choice of the team of forty people he will lead.

According to Jérémie Patrier-Leitus, in charge of communication, cultural mediation and patronage management, the general will present Tuesday "its method and its immediate priorities in the conduct of the site". "The board of directors will then study the deliberations of use of a public institution that will operate according to the same rules as all the others," he said.

- Heritage Code -

This first meeting will be held at the base-life near the cathedral.

The decree of installation, signed by the Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, defines the conditions of appointment of its leaders, their attributions as well as the competences of its board of directors.

This includes, in addition to General Georgelin, twelve members: six representing the State including the prefect of Ile-de-France, the mayor of Paris (or his representative), the archbishop of Paris (or his representative) and three "qualified personalities, French or foreign" whose appointments will be announced Tuesday, and finally a representative of the staff.

Among its tasks, the definition of "a scientific and cultural project ensuring the development of the site, including its international dimension, and know-how necessary for the conduct of operations".

The public establishment may "be entrusted with the development of the immediate environment of the cathedral, within the framework of an agreement concluded with the City of Paris".

He must also ensure the "traceability of the amount of funds collected, their source, their allocation and their consumption".

It is also "subject to the scientific and technical control of the state provided for by the code of heritage," says the decree, while many worried about the exemptions provided by the law Notre-Dame.

This law, approved at the end of July, aimed to speed up administrative procedures through waivers, in order to carry out the restoration within five years. But the deputies and senators had strictly framed these exemptions.

For the dissemination of knowledge related to this gem of Gothic art, the institution will "make useful contacts with the scientific, artistic, heritage and architecture in France and abroad."

A scientific council, a committee of establishment, a committee of donors will be established.

General Georgelin has wide powers: prepare the budget, coordinate receipts and expenditures, conclude contracts and public contracts, direct staff, organize information meetings with traders and residents. He must draw up the annual activity report and submit it to the Board of Directors for approval and then send it to the Minister of Culture. This report will be made public.

© 2019 AFP