President Emmanuel Macron in Breil-sur-Roya, Wednesday October 7, 2020 – Daniel Cole / AP / SIPA
An extension but for elected officials, the account is still not there. Eight months after the storm Alex, Emmanuel Macron promised this Thursday, during a meeting with elected officials of the Alpes-Maritimes, to grant increased aid to rebuild the stricken valleys and ordered his ministers to lift the administrative blockages that are delaying the works.
At the beginning of April, the president of the department Charles-Ange Ginesy and his vice-president, the deputy LR Eric Ciotti, had demanded the release of the “hundreds of millions” promised by the head of state when he visited the victims in October. They also denounced the “crippling bureaucracy” and complained that “only 26 million euros” had been awarded.
“To date no work has started” with one exception
In order to take stock, the Head of State participated this Thursday in a videoconference in which also participated the president of the Nice Côte Christian Estrosi and the mayors of the affected municipalities, including those of Tende and Sant-Martin-Vésubie. , Jean-Pierre Vassalo and Ivan Mottet.
“To date, no work has started”, with one exception, to protect the heart of the villages, for lack of the necessary administrative authorizations, and the owners do not all know whether they should move or if they can repair, he said. said Charles-Ange Ginesy. “We ask for your support” to unblock the situation, he added.
Philippe Guillard, charged by the State to assess the work, announced that of the 1.09 billion euros requested by local authorities to repair, the State would provide, under the solidarity fund, only 130 million euros. ‘euros out of 295 million retained. An announcement that disappointed elected officials.
“I ask the prefects to give a boost”
Speaking in conclusion, the President of the Republic announced an extension of this envelope. He thus announced that the State would provide 143 million via the solidarity fund. To this will be added 59 million from the EU, 150 million from State-local authority contracts, 100 million from the VAT compensation fund and 120 million from the Barnier fund (natural risks), or up to 572 million in total.
The head of state especially ordered the removal of administrative obstacles. “I ask the prefects to give a boost”. “We must enter into exceptional procedures. Make precise lists, go up them to the ministries which block and which one can give the pickaxes. This is part of the return of confidence which is eagerly awaited, ”he insisted. The head of state also ordered a “follow-up committee in a month”.
Eric Ciotti expressed, according to a press release, his “disappointment” at the “weakness” of aid and “told Emmanuel Macron of his constant vigilance on the fulfillment of presidential commitments, including those kept and reiterated today. ‘hui’.