The initiative of the Mayor of Nice to loudly proclaim his opposition to the plan to privatize Nice Airport (Article 67 of the Macron Law) continues to provoke reactions in the local political milieu.
Unfortunately, the various positions do not address the heart of the problem: Why would a privatized airport not fulfill its role, whereas if it is public, it would?
After Gaël Nofri (Independent Elected Officials), who, while regretting the State’s decision due to a lack of financial means, described Christian Estrosi’s position as a “communication operation.” Marie-Christine Arnautu (FN) did not comment on the matter but took the opportunity to challenge his coherence: “A referendum for the airport, yes, but not for the construction of the tunnel for tramway Line 2!”
Patrick Mottard (PRG), for his part, explains his opposition to privatization with a unique motivation: “Aeronautical sovereignty (like highway sovereignty) is part of the necessary sovereign policy” (editor’s note: unprecedented, but if he believes it…).
Patrick Allemand (PS), former secretary of PS06 and organizer of a petition on the tram tunnel requesting — unsuccessfully — a local referendum, is expected to speak this morning at a press briefing.
In this chaos, there is still a position that deserves to be highlighted for its relevance and balance: It is that of the CCI, also a significant minority shareholder (25%) of the company that holds the concession and manages the Airport:
“While the partial privatization project of Nice Côte d’Azur Airport shakes the socio-economic environment, the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry reaffirms the indispensable nature of this tool in serving the competitiveness and attractiveness of our territory.”
And Bernard Kleynhoff, its president, adds: “The Nice Côte d’Azur CCI aims to be pragmatic by emphasizing that the final decision has not been made. Pending the parliamentary debate, I stress the essential consultation around a genuine industrial project.”
There it is, the key word finally said: “Industrial project,” the only one that can guarantee that the “airport” tool is not just a term to fill more or less eloquent speeches.
Well said, and it is to be hoped now that the local Diafoirus will treasure it and draw inspiration from it in their future actions.
