It is therefore Christophe Béchu who will take over from Amélie de Montchalin at the head of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion. Already a member of the first government of Elisabeth Borne, where he was Minister Delegate in charge of local authorities, under the dual supervision of Amélie de Montchalin and Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, Christophe Béchu ticks several boxes.
The appointment of this former member of the UMP and then of the Republicans, secretary general of the center-right party Horizons since October 9, 2021, reinforces the alliance with the movement of Edouard Philippe, of which Mr. Béchu is close.
Above all, his knowledge of local authorities – he has been mayor of Angers and president of Angers Loire Métropole since 2014 – is an asset for the ecological transition applied as closely as possible to the territories. At 48, the Angevin, father of three children, a graduate of Sciences Po Paris, perfectly masters part of his future field of activity.
Regarding his knowledge of ecology, Matthieu Orphelin, former deputy of Maine-et-Loire who knows man well, for having “practiced” him in Angers, says of him that“he is sensitive to these themes, one of the most sensitive even on the right”. “We acted together on the cycling plan, for example, which was developed in Angers. » It is also in this city that Edouard Philippe, then Prime Minister, came in September 2018 to present the national bicycle plan.
“Change of scale and rhythm”
While the architecture of the government’s “green pole” remains based on two main ministries, ecological transition and territorial cohesion on the one hand, and energy transition on the other, with Agnès Pannier-Runacher, maintained in the Elisabeth Borne’s second team, Christophe Béchu will have to work hard.
The answer to the“ecological emergency” decreed by Emmanuel Macron suffered from the wait linked to the loss of majority of the Head of State in the National Assembly. And few decisions, necessary in view of the climate and environmental crisis, have been taken. “The task is so huge that he will have to change scale and pace. We will have to concretize and take strong measures, he will also have to win the arbitrations ”, says Matthieu Orphelin again. For instance, “respond to threats to biodiversity, restore a balance of power with hunters, to whom we pass everything”.
Former senator (2011-2017) and former MEP (2009-2014), will Christophe Béchu be that minister? For Delphine Batho, ecologist deputy and New Popular Ecologist and Social Union (Nupes) of Deux-Sèvres, “the man entered the government because he was secretary general of Horizons”. “He voted against banning neonicotinoids when he was a senator and he’s an ultraconservative”, advances the deputy. In fact, Mr. Béchu had signed a column against marriage for all with Bruno Retailleau in the far-right magazine Current valuesin October 2012. For Delphine Batho, “we cannot say that the issues of the ecological emergency inspired this nomination in any way”.
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