Paris transport and the Olympics: Clément Beaune considers Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo's remarks "shameful"

Europe 1 with AFP 15:42 p.m., November 26, 2023

Transport Minister Clément Beaune on Sunday said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo's remarks on the unpreparedness of Paris public transport to absorb the 800,000 additional passengers linked to the 2024 Summer Olympics were "shameful".

"Mrs. Hidalgo's remarks are shameful" and constitute a "political betrayal," the minister said on RTL, calling her a "bad mayor of Paris," and also confirming her personal interest in "one day" becoming a candidate in the municipal elections in the capital. "Will the infrastructure be ready on time? Yes. Is there still work to be done? yes," added Clément Beaune, who, like Clément Hidalgo, comes from the Socialist Party.

"We will rise to this historic challenge"

Interviewed on TMC's Quotidien programme this week, the mayor of Paris spoke of "two things that we are not going to be ready for", namely "transport" and "the sheltering of homeless people". In particular, it targeted the future RER E station at Porte Maillot, an area where many activities related to the Olympic Games will be concentrated.

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"We are on schedule and we will take up this historic challenge," replied the Minister of Transport. "Metro line 14 will be extended to the north and south, it's on time," he said, adding that the Porte Maillot station would also be ready.

"I don't believe" that Anne Hidalgo "is a good mayor of Paris"

Clément Beaune regretted that the Mayor of Paris did not participate in the monthly committee of all the actors involved in these issues. Valérie Pécresse, president of the Ile-de-France region and Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) "comes to work every time, Mrs. Hidalgo never," noted Clément Beaune.

Confirming his interest in a personal political commitment "later" in Paris, with a view to the next municipal elections, he continued: "I will not let go of this commitment to Paris, I did not choose this place at random (...), it is where I was born, it is the place where I live, it is the place where I want to get involved".

"I don't believe" that Anne Hidalgo "is a good mayor of Paris," insisted Clément Beaune at the end of the show. "When we are ready to sacrifice the image of France to extinguish a controversy on a dubious subject (a controversy around a trip of the mayor of Paris to Polynesia, editor's note), we are not up to the level of France," said the minister.