the decision to ban cruise ships in Nice is divisive, but can it really succeed?

After the surprise announcement at the start of the week by Christian Estrosi, environmentalists are delighted while the UDR expresses its fears. But once that said, does the mayor of Nice and president of the Metropolis really hold the cards? The experiments carried out in Cannes show that it is not that simple.

The announcement took all the Riviera politicians by surprise: Christian Estrosi announced by surprise, this Monday, January 20 in the evening, his desire to ban the arrival of cruise ships from next summer in the Nice Côte d' Metropolis. Azure.

The main sites concerned are logically the Lympia port in Nice, but also the harbor of Villefranche-sur-Mer, often popular with cruise lines.

► ALSO READ: “They have no place with us”: Christian Estrosi declares war on “polluting cruises” and wants to ban them from the summer

Among the first people to react to this announcement, Juliette Chesnel-Leroux, president of the environmental group at Nice town hall and the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis, welcomed a “historic victory for ecology“, “obtained after a long fight“, which demonstrates according to her that “the repeated warnings of the disastrous consequences of these sea giants have finally been heard“. To France 3, she declared that she believed in the success of this project: “There, it's more than communication, it's a desire“, she believes.”

If Mr. Estrosi ultimately does not do so, it would be a major political risk for him, particularly in view of hosting the United Nations Ocean Conference in June. If he gets there before, it will be a success

Juliette Chesnel-Leroux,

President of the environmental group at the town hall and the Nice metropolis.

The UDR deputy for Alpes-Maritimes Bernard Chaix is ​​clearly less enthusiastic. According to him, there are “alternative solutions to be found” in the face of this decision which he judges “exaggerated“He would particularly like to continue to welcome ships.”the least polluting“, to avoid losing the tourist clientele attracted by cruises.

Where are we going to let the cruise passengers go? In Genoa perhaps?

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Bernard Chaix,

UDR deputy for the 3rd constituency of Alpes-Maritimes.

According to him, “we need this clientele in Nice to sustain our local economy“. An argument rejected outright by Juliette Chesnel-Leroux, who considers that today, “lCruise tourists have everything on board, so when they get off they don't even buy postcards anymores”. The elected environmentalist therefore believes that “it doesn't represent anything“.

Contacted by France 3 Côte d'Azur, the Cannes town hall does not officially take a position on this announcement from the mayor of Nice, although it has long been a pioneer on this issue. Its deputy general director of services, Georges Montanella, recalls that the municipality has carried out “a long-term fight“on the file, which finally resulted in the summer of 2019 on the 1st”green cruise charter“, forcing companies to take a certain number of actions to reduce their impact on the environment to access the Bay of Cannes.

The 32 cruise companies whose boats are off Cannes have signed this charter.

Georges Montanella,

Deputy Director General of Services for the City of Cannes.

But ultimately, a total ban could never be decided by the mayor of Cannes David Lisnard. “We can't do it, because it's not our competence“, asks Georges Montanella. “It is under the full responsibility and competence of the maritime prefect“, he specifies, explaining that the Cannes town hall has been asking for years to “extend its police power beyond the 300 meters of coastal strip”.

A bill was even tabled by MP Alexandra Martin to this effect, in vain. “It remained a dead letter“, laments Georges Montanella, who says “continue to work on this issue, in particular to try to have smaller boats“.

So will Christian Estrosi be able to quickly succeed where David Lisnard found himself in a dead end? Nothing is less certain, even if Juliette Chesnel-Leroux, environmentalists, believes it: “We must make an official request to the maritime prefect, now it is up to him to make the decision, and we urge him to do so“.

The fact remains that if the proposal, or rather the request from Christian Estrosi is successful, there is no doubt that Cannes and other towns on the Riviera coast will not fail to do the same.