Between national politics and local issues, the Minister of State outlines his perspective and the country’s situation. “Overall, France performs well,” he observes, yet in response to the urgencies imposed by nature, “we can go much further.” He hopes to make France a leader in research and the fight for ecology. Jean-Louis Borloo advocates for the creation of “a national pact for the economy and development engaging all societal actors.” This idea will likely be forged during the “Grenelle de l’environnement” next fall, followed by concrete achievements in the following years.
The construction of a new economic development area, such as the one to extend from the Nice international airport to the first Alpine summits of the Var gorges, is part of this action. “This project is ambitious,” Christian Estrosi, president of the General Council, recalled. The goal in the region is to establish infrastructures (airport, tramway, new port, future high-speed train line, and motorway junctions) “to irrigate available land spaces across the plain.” The various stakeholders wish for the same outcome: to create a leading activity hub for the activities “of this opening millennium.”
Some issues cloud the future of the Var plain. The different communities must come to an agreement. For this, all parties seem to show good will. Yet, one can sense the beginnings of what could be a future blockage of the project. As usual, the problem is financial, and once more it is Jacques Peyrat who points out the sore spot.
The Senator-Mayor of Nice, president of the Canca, challenges the ministers on the amount of state funding. He suggests a figure of one thousand billion euros over ten to fifteen years. “This is a very significant investment, I am not asking you to finance everything, of course, but to cover a part of the sum.” In a conciliatory tone, Jean-Louis Borloo assured that the state would uphold its commitments.
A second concern, the ecological issues that such a construction project could entail in an already polluted department. It has been repeatedly mentioned that the Alpes-Maritimes exceed ozone thresholds more than 160 days per year. This is but one of many examples that make the construction of a new economic site a challenge. On this subject, the Minister of Ecology left the elected officials unsatisfied. Falling into clichés, he repeated that “sustainable development must become part of everyone’s behavior.” “I want to show that France is a good student,” he declared before leaving to meet Al Gore “this giant of ecology.”
