Ecological planning: in Matignon, Élisabeth Borne prepares the ground in front of skeptical party leaders

Élisabeth Borne prepares the ground for Emmanuel Macron. A week before the Head of State's speech, scheduled for September 25, the Prime Minister presented her government's “ecological planning” on Monday to the party leaders, gathered in Matignon. A way of “testing”, according to a member of the executive, the main axes of a roadmap postponed several times, which the Élysée promises “coherent”, “rational” and “ambitious”. This Tuesday, it is to the members of the National Council for Refoundation (CNR) that the head of government must state her ambitions.

Monday, at the end of two hours of discussions behind closed doors - without the Insoumis Manuel Bompard, hostile to a "new communication operation without effect" - opposition leaders expressed their skepticism. The boss of the Greens, Marine Tondelier, recognized “a very complete, very lucid and quite unprecedented observation”, but she called for “action”. On the right, the president of the LR, Éric Ciotti, for his part deplored the lack of “perspectives” on the means “to achieve and finance” this plan. With representatives of the RN and the Communists, he warned of the risk of strong constraints on purchasing power. At a time when energy prices are exploding.

Before them, Élisabeth Borne came with a summary of the plan published in July. The objective: to preserve ecosystems and resources, but above all to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in 2030 compared to 1990. This means going from 408 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted in 2022 to 270 million in 2030. “Today we must succeed in doing more in seven years than what we have done in the last thirty-three years,” Matignon is reminded.

To achieve this, the effort must be distributed in a “fair” way: “Half of the expected reduction in emissions is in the hands of companies, a quarter between those of public authorities and a quarter, of households”, according to the cabinet of the Prime Minister. For example, the transport sector - the most polluting in France - must go from 129 million tonnes emitted last year to 92 million in 2030.

Possible, according to the plan, if we move to “15% of 100% electric vehicles running in 2030 compared to only 1% today”, via increased aid for conversion or the deployment of charging stations. It is also possible if we triple the daily use of bicycles, if seven million employees telework three days a week, if five million French people choose more local tourism, if we develop metropolitan RERs in around ten cities...

Also read: Why the cost of debt will soar in the coming years

Another example, the buildings sector, which must reduce its emissions by 28 million tonnes by 2030. The elimination of 75% of oil boilers and 20% of gas boilers would already allow a reduction of “almost 40% direct emissions from the sector. The insulation of buildings is also a major issue, requiring the recruitment of 4,000 to 5,000 “Renov' guides”, in 2025 alone. “The difficulty of the plan is that we have to assume a technological part to be credible among specialists, and at the same time make our measures visible to the general public through concrete objects,” explains one of its artisans.

To meet its objectives, the State intends to mobilize an additional 7 billion euros in its 2024 budget, which must be presented on September 27 to the Council of Ministers. It remains to be seen how he intends to distribute them. Responses from Emmanuel Macron, urged to move forward by environmentalists and part of his camp, are hoped for. In the meantime, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, is preparing minds for new announcements: what the Head of State will present, he assures, “no country in the world has done it”.