On Monday, December 9, the administrative court (TA) of Toulouse announced the reopening of the investigation of the file on the A69, which also implies a resumption of work. While the Public Rapporteur recommends stopping the project, this decision is a turning point for opponents of the project.
The ecological and social alliance calls for an immediate suspension of the construction site until the new hearing.
This Monday, December 9, instead of stating the law on the merits and judging this highway illegal by following the analysis of the Public Rapporteur which can only lead to this strong decision, the TA of Toulouse preferred to save time by refusing to judge the case and reopening the investigation on the grounds of a vague promise from the government to lower the toll price by 33%, which in no way calls into question the conclusions of the Public Rapporteur. This decision allows the continuation of the project and the construction site, although it is illegal and must be stopped.
Indeed, the Public Rapporteur, an independent magistrate who took the time to analyze the file, explained very clearly on Monday November 25, 2024 before the Administrative Court (TA) of Toulouse why the A69 Toulouse-Castres motorway is completely illegal and must therefore be stopped immediately.
It demonstrated that this project does not have an Imperative Reason of Major Public Interest (RIIPM) which alone could have justified such a biodiversity-destroying project. It demonstrated that having a Declaration of Public Utility (DUP) is equivalent to having a simple Public Interest (IP), but that this is neither ‘Major’ nor ‘Imperative’ in the case of the A69.
While awaiting the court’s decision, supporters of the A69 increased media pressure, hindering the independent work of justice and seeking to influence opinion. To the forum initiated by Senator Philippe Folliot were added the declarations in the press of the president of the Pierre Fabre Foundation: practicing real employment blackmail, the representative of the pharmaceutical group threatened to call into question the local establishment of the company if work on the A69 was stopped. These new declarations demonstrate the lobbying exercised by the Pierre Fabre group to impose the A69, disregarding the ecological considerations highlighted by the public rapporteur.
Following the incomprehensible non-decision of the Administrative Tribunal (TA) of Toulouse on Monday, December 9, 2024, the signatory organizations are calling for an immediate moratorium on the construction of the A69 Toulouse-Castres motorway. What is “Major” and “Imperative” is to suspend the construction site.
It would indeed be unacceptable if the additional delays that the court takes to judge benefit the continuation of a manifestly illegal project and construction site and the associated destruction as well as the risks linked to the commissioning of bitumen plants. It is obvious that a serious examination of the merits of the case should conclude with a judgment canceling and stopping the A69.
