The mayors of small rural municipalities are asserting themselves as an essential link in the ecological transition

2023-07-03 04:30:15
The village of Ville-Dommange in the Marne, in 2019. FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI / AFP

In front of the hundred mayors of small rural municipalities, gathered for the conclusions of the “Grand Atelier” on the ecological transition set up by the Association of rural mayors of France (AMRF) Sunday morning July 2 in Paris in his ministry, Christophe Béchu , the Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, could not fail to mention the current crisis and the riots.

“Nothing that we have just experienced will strengthen the cohesion of the territories”he declared to the city councilors, listing the numerous attacks against town halls or public buildings, before having to leave the session, to accompany Elisabeth Borne, the Prime Minister, to Häy-les-Roses (Val -de-Marne), a town in which the private home of the mayor, Vincent Jeanbrun, was attacked by rioters.

Rural mayors also updated their thinking. “We have integrated this question of course. And rurality, for the sake of national cohesion, can contribute to urban policy”explained to MondeFanny Lacroix, vice-president of the AMRF in charge of ecological transition.

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Although relatively more spared from the riots than their colleagues in the big cities, these city councilors therefore took into account in their conclusions the current crisis, “calling for a major national policy to relaunch holiday centers and green classes allowing the reception of children from neighborhoods and cities in our rural areas, all year round, to promote meetings and exchanges”.

“Empower citizens, be sincere and close to them”

Before the news imposed its urgency, the mayors of small rural municipalities, whose number of inhabitants is less than 3,500, worked on the ecological transition, during four weekends between February and July. A hundred of them among the tens of thousands of city councilors that make up the AMRF – at the national level, these mayors of rural communes are 30,000, representing some 80% of the territory – have therefore been trained on the issues of ecological transition. , on the model of the Citizens’ Climate Convention.

This Grand Atelier, which was accompanied by many partners including the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion, WWF, EDF, GRDF, establishments such as the Center for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, mobility and development… has also resulted in proposals that will be submitted to the next AMRF congress in September.

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