Schools, transport, housing, culture and even security, the “Marseille en grand” plan presented by Emmanuel Macron a little over a year ago now seems to punctuate all, or almost all, of the political projects in Marseille. While the left-wing municipal majority of Printemps Marseille, elected on promises of change for the city, is soon reaching mid-term, many of its initiatives and achievements are included in this plan amounting to “well over 1.5 billion euros”, explained Laurent Carrié, prefect in charge of its application. If this allows the city as well as the metropolis to move forward on major and symbolic files (school renovations, northern tramway) it can also allow Emmanuel Macron to join in a positive transformation of a territory that he showed affection. Enough to carry out a political coup, between OPA and hijacking on the politics of a fashionable city, cited for its dynamism, and governed by competing political formations? And, in short, to appropriate part of the results of Printemps Marseille, presenting the advances as “his” and thus making his “laboratory”, his “showcase”.
A film on which we must not move so quickly, believes Sébastien Barles, elected ecologist of the municipal majority. “It was the municipal team that came to seek state aid to achieve its priorities, school and housing, in particular,” he recalls. A point on which politicians from other sides agree, and even from the presidential camp. “First the State invests at the request of local authorities, it is a joint town hall / metropolitan area”, underlines Lionel Royer-Perreaut, Renaissance deputy and former mayor of the 9th and 10th arrondissements of Marseille. “It is not this plan that will decide whether a school is built or renovated in such and such a place. And even in the case of transport, if the Marseille plan in large was conditioned on the realization of the northern tramway, this will also make it possible to do the one in the south”, nuance Yves Moraine (LR), in charge of the application of the plan for the metropolis.
Macron champion of recovery?
Presented in this way, this plan is only akin to “funding”, according to the formula of the elected LR, or to a “toolbox, a dressing for state support”, as summarized by Sébastien Barles. A simple and necessary “catching up” for the second city of France devoid of political ulterior motives, then? Hard to believe coming from Emmanuel Macron who knew how to make his way, as a strategist, to the presidency in a handful of months. “Men never do good except out of necessity,” warned Machiavelli.
“The fact that we succeeded in convincing the State involves a risk of recovery”, concedes Sébastien Barles who moderates this possible effect, given that “the next elections are not tomorrow”. Precisely enough to give the president time to organize his majority in the heart of a region led by Renaud Muselier, who has just joined Renaissance. “Emmanuel Macron buys the LRs by cutting”, mocks Franck Alisio, deputy RN. “Through Marseille, he sees a cosmopolitan city that would allow him to fulfill his bobo fantasies. But it’s in his head. Even, if I wish success for my territory, ”he adds.
“Macron deprives local authorities, mayors, of their autonomy”, according to an RN deputy
Perhaps the most established criticism of the implementation of the Marseille plan on a large scale comes ultimately from its own political side: “The only thing we could point the finger at is that we have come to create structures ad hoc which escape any democratic control. The Spla-in, created for schools, is run by the municipal majority and state representatives. Ditto for the Transport Public Interest Group [majorité métropolitaine et Etat]. The oppositions are absent. This can feed the idea that strategic choices are no longer made in democratic forums, ”says Lionel Royer-Perreaut. An opinion shared by Franck Alisio: “What he does with Marseille and the metropolis is what he does with France in general. Emmanuel Macron deprives local authorities, mayors, of their autonomy. »
Still, it remains difficult today to discuss the major structuring projects of the city of Marseille and the metropolis without mentioning Emmanuel Macron’s plan and that the president has thus already succeeded in attaching his name to it on a long-term basis. to that of a city which did not elect him. What to prepare for the future, when his plan had already been used as an argument during the presidential campaign? “There is no desire for a takeover bid by the majority on the territory”, assures Lionel Royer-Perreaut for whom, “if such was the idea [d’en faire un argument de campagne]the legislative [avaient] shown that it was misunderstood”. So, Emmanuel Macron recovery champion or not? In Marseille, the future will answer it. For the rest, and in particular the World Cup, we have already answered it here.