To the environmentalist mayor of Poitiers who considered that "air travel (should) no longer be part of children's dreams", the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, replied on Sunday that "the dreams of French children no 'belong only to French children ".
Bruno Le Maire also denounced comments "totally stupid".
The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire described Sunday as "totally stupid" the words of the environmentalist mayor of Poitiers who considered that "the air (should) no longer be part of children's dreams".
"It is a madness which is not only revolting but dangerous" and "totally stupid", declared Bruno Le Maire in the program Le Grand Jury of RTL, Le Figaro and LCI.
"I have no desire that the mayor of Poitiers, or that any political leader whatsoever, and certainly not the radical environmentalists, change the dreams of my children," he added.
"The dreams of French children belong only to French children".
"Making a hydrogen airplane, that's the real dream"
"The air must be part of our life, the carbon-free air. I belong to a government which believes that ecology must be based on innovation, new technologies. I am fighting for Airbus to be the leading aircraft manufacturer in the world to make a hydrogen plane, that's the real dream, "said the minister.
"It's not degrowth, it's not turning in on oneself, it's not abandoning technologies, it's not renouncing progress. It's reconciling economic success with decarbonization of our economy and respect for the environment, "he said.
The Poitiers municipal council on March 29 voted to reduce subsidies to two aero clubs in Poitiers.
During the debate, Mayor Léonore Moncond'huy said "to assume" the fact that "public money should no longer finance sports based on the consumption of exhaustible resources".
"The air is sad, but should no longer be part of children's dreams today," she added, drawing the wrath of Minister of Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari (LREM) and several other politicians.