Sébastien Michel (LR) refuses to issue the necessary authorizations for the renovation of the premises, which have already welcomed Ukrainian refugees, to transform them into a reception center for 70 young migrants.
New episode in the series which pits the metropolis of Lyon against the town of Écully. While the LR mayor, Sébastien Michel, opposes the project to build a center for migrants, the environmentalist metropolis is now calling for justice. This Monday, she summoned the town hall for interim relief, an emergency procedure, to resolve the situation. The metropolis is also targeting the Rhône prefecture, believing that it could have replaced the mayor to issue authorizations.
The Lyon Métropole's mission is to accommodate young unaccompanied minors present on its territory (competence devolved elsewhere to the departments). In this context, it decided in 2024 to renovate premises belonging to it in Écully – which have already welcomed Ukrainian refugees – to transform them into a reception center for 70 young migrants.
For his part, the mayor denounces «lack of consultation » of Greater Lyon and refuses to give the necessary authorizations. “You can count on me to not give up and continue, every day, to defend the identity of Écully”he wrote to his constituents in October.
Quick decision
“The mayor of Écully is playing for time, for eight months nothing has happened, he is preventing the Metropolis from exercising its jurisdiction in matters of emergency accommodation”argued the lawyer for the metropolis, Gilles Le Châtelier, before the administrative court. This opposition amounts to a “misuse of procedure” comparable to that used several years ago by the town hall of Nice to avoid the opening of a prayer room for Muslims, he further argued.
-“It is not only a question of welcoming the public, it is a question of child protection, it is a fundamental right that is achieved”added the lawyer for the Forum Refugees association, which will manage the future reception center. “Far be it from us to contest a dramatic situation”replied Me Philippe Schmidt, defender of the commune of Écully, ensuring that security work remained necessary in the premises.
Administrative justice must make its decision this Tuesday. According to the metropolis of Lyon, the number of unaccompanied migrant minors has increased from 1,200 to 3,000 over the last three years in the metropolitan area. The three reception accommodation centers are currently saturated, which generates an additional cost of six million euros in renting hotel rooms.
