“What can we say about 2024, except that it has concentrated the best and the worst of humanity. In this, she was a witness to our strengths and our weaknesses”, draws up, by way of assessment, the president of the Departmental Council, in her wishes addressed to the Lot-et-Garonnais.
Sophie Borderie returns to “a contrasting feeling, reflecting all the complexity of our world. This year will have been that of popular jubilation at the Olympic Games, that of incredible technological advances, that of the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris, but also… that of the Mazan rape trial, that of the madness of the Taliban pushed to the extreme against Afghan women, that of the continuation of numerous armed conflicts particularly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, that of the fall of an inhumane Syrian regime, that of the return of Donald Trump to White House… “. She evokes an “unstable” year, too, “on the institutional level in our country, with a dissolution announced by the President of the Republic, to general amazement, on the evening of June 9; a decision which will inevitably continue to have consequences for the months to come, in a context where populism is on the rise almost everywhere in the world, and where the extreme right is making dangerous progress in Europe and in France. »
Looking back at the year 2024, Sophie Borderie speaks of a “contrasting feeling, reflecting all the complexity of our world”.
Loïc Déquier / SO
“So 2025 opens,” she continues, “with the perception of an uncertain world, but the conviction that humanity is, despite everything, still capable of meeting great challenges. It is this resilience that finds expression in our territories, step by step. We have proven it many times, here in Lot-et-Garonne. And I know that we will collectively have to demonstrate this again. Because, in a conflicting and globalized world, where the announced “runoff” ultimately ends up producing the opposite effect to that expected, our territories remain a reliable and solid benchmark. 2025 will be a new year of resistance for the Departments. Resisting will undoubtedly mean, in light of the country's abysmal budgetary difficulties, making choices to preserve what is essential. In this, I will only have one compass: the certainty that the essential thing is you, the Lot-et-Garonnais,” concludes the president.
2 The “determination” of Michel Lauzzana
Not far from this observation, MP Michel Lauzzana recognizes that the past twelve months have been marked by “challenges and misunderstandings, which have sometimes slowed down the implementation of public policies to meet the aspirations of the French in terms of power to purchasing, health and safety. These moments should encourage us to learn lessons to move forward together, in a spirit of dialogue and responsibility. »
Also returning to moments of “collective pride”, between the Olympic Games, the reconstruction of Notre-Dame or the inauguration of the Camélat bridge, the elected official does not forget the international instability. “We must not give in to those who wish to divide us, put us in boxes and no longer dialogue. It is this link, so particular in France, on which we must build our action in 2025. In an international context marked by uncertainties, we will have to act with determination to protect our social model, support our economy and meet environmental challenges. Our attention must also be focused on our rural France, sometimes forgotten by Parisian public policies: guaranteeing access to care and essential services, protecting our farmers and local businesses and working to ensure that our young people are masters of their destiny. These issues require commitment, responsibility and overcoming. »
3 The “ambitions” of Jean Dionis du Séjour
Thierry Breton
For Jean Dionis du Séjour, 2025 must rhyme with ambition and solidarity.
Jean Dionis of Le Séjour also took up his pen to say “goodbye” to 2024, “a difficult and worrying year for many. In this anxiety-provoking climate, I suggest that you adopt the famous formula of the English at the start of the Second World War: ''Keep calm and carry on!'', which I like to translate as: ''We remain calm and carry on! does what we have to do!'' You can count on us so that the City in the sense of 'community of life' remains an anchor point, so that the town hall remains a firm and benevolent pole of authority… Agen is and will remain a clean city, Agen is and will remain a safe city, Agen is and will remain a pleasant city to live in, with an active commercial heart. »
For 2025, the mayor of Agen and president of the Agglomeration hopes that it “will be a year of just Agen ambition”, citing “the new Montanou school, the Jean-Bru ring road, avenue Jean-Jaurès, Fallières Park…” He also wants “we to stay on course with our environmental ambition”, through “the trash can revolution” or “the construction of the urban heating network”. Finally, he wants 2025 to be “a year of Agen solidarity”. “We must be attentive to the needs of each person; the fight against loneliness in Agen will remain one of our priorities in 2025.”
4 Gérard Régnier and the role of local authorities
Gérard Régnier, mayor of Villeneuve-sur-Lot and president of the Agglo, for his part opted for video greetings. The councilor recalls how, “in this period of political uncertainty for our country, we must consider local authorities as local centers on which to rely”.
