What do you think of the choice of Marseille as the first city to host the Olympic flame?
It’s a very good idea ! The arrival of the flame by boat will be magnificent. The Olympism represents a formidable historical link. The epicenter of the Games is located in the Mediterranean, and Marseille is one of its capitals. Carrying the flame from the ancient historic site in Greece to the France of Pierre de Coubertin – the one who revived the Games – is full of symbols. We have often spoken in recent years about the Mediterranean in a tragic aspect, with problems that we are trying to address on immigration.
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I have an obsession with Marseille: that it reconciles itself with the sea. The entire history of this city has always been in a very ambivalent relationship with the Mediterranean. A whole part is far from the sea. The city was conquered, then monitored from the sea by the central monarchical power. In the end, Marseille saw himself as having to protect himself from her. Beyond the Games, I also have an ambition for the port of Marseille. I want to make it one of the largest European ports, and not just Mediterranean ports – it has all the assets for that. It is an opening to the Mediterranean, and beyond to the African continent, to the Near and Middle East. This must be the start of trade, traffic, people and energy routes. Marseille is also the entry point for all of Europe via the river network, reconnecting the Rhône with the Saône then the Rhine. Thanks to this network, we will be able to transport energy and decarbonize our industries in this area.
Your visit to Marseille on Wednesday will be the 14th in seven years. How can we simplify the millefeuille of skills, particularly between the City and the Metropolis? During your last visit, you tackled the governance of communities…
The Metropolis does not have the means to operate as it should, because it has to pay too much back to the municipalities. We started to limit that. Martine Vassal, its president, does her best and works hard. This institution must have much more control over structuring projects, such as transport, and must delegate again on the rest. Basically, it must have less resources which return to the municipalities and more to invest itself. There is no point, within a metropolis, in raising money only to have it fall back to the same place. Furthermore, skills must be clarified. The mayor of Marseille is right to complain when he says that he does not manage the roads for his city. We must give back to cities certain prerogatives, so that residents understand who is doing what, to have less redundancy and waste of public money, and to move forward more quickly on projects. Everything we could do at the state level, we did. The report that Eric Woerth will give me in a few days on these questions will allow us to prepare a reform allowing more clarification of skills and simplification.
Regarding schools, the people of Marseillais think that things are not going fast enough, given the announced project…
The State has invested in an unprecedented way on this subject. Marseille is the only city in France where the State finances schools. All actors on the ground must move faster. Thanks to the ANRU, Marseille is the city which is developing the most urban renovation projects in France. It’s almost 600 million euros at the moment. Likewise, we are investing massively in Marseille in health and hospitals, as well as in transport, the challenge of the century, even though there was a delay. Now, in Marseille, things need to move much faster, for all stakeholders to improve the spirit of collaboration, which is not enough.
Are you going to put an end to chicayas and diluted responsibilities between different levels?
I think the state is putting enough money into the city to be demanding in terms of efficiency. My obsession is that the Marseillaises, particularly the youngest, are all there. May we all manage to rise above ourselves by asking ourselves how to get results.
Isn’t this one of the missions of the Secretary of State and Marseille elected official Sabrina Agresti-Roubache?
Her mission in government is to be responsible for issues of citizenship and the city, but the minister is particularly committed to Marseille and she is so with her talent and enthusiasm. I expect Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, like Martine Vassal, Mayor Benoît Payan, President of the Port of Marseille Christophe Castaner and President of the PACA Region Renaud Muselier to all work together. It’s a collective and this collective must pull in the same direction. We must have an obsession, it’s results. Schools rebuilt more quickly, more innovative educational projects, swimming pools that we can recreate.
A rumor is circulating in Marseille: you could be a candidate for the municipal elections in 2026, even in an ineligible position…
Some people may have looked at this possibility, but I will not be a candidate – for anything. It is a city for which I have immense affection, which has extraordinary potential, which can bring even more to the country, through its vitality. We need to help Marseille grow and emancipate itself.
Where is the revision of the electoral voting method in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, which you announced during your press conference on January 16?
Consultations are underway. All the approach work carried out by parliamentarians is very useful and should come to fruition soon. It’s a democratic question. In large cities, voters must have the same ability to choose their mayor as in the rest of France, that is to say not by a combination system, but by a direct vote.
Are you in favor of abolishing district town halls?
I am not going to settle a debate that is beginning. My belief is that the simpler the better.
François Mitterrand left the great pyramid of the Louvre, Jacques Chirac the Quai Branly museum, your very visible mark in History, will this be the Marseille plan on a grand scale?
I don’t do it for that. And it is often History that decides for you. But I will do everything to make it happen. There have already been major achievements, such as the creation of the international city of the French language at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris in record time as well as numerous projects throughout France that we are supporting. with the ministry, partners like the mission of Stéphane Bern. I wish there were more. But I’m not building all this as a testament. I always look to the future with confidence. I believe in audacity, which we have had from the first day and which we will continue to have until the last, and that is how I look at and support Marseille: with optimism. I wanted to hit hard on security issues, because I’m tired of people always talking about this city in a negative way. This city is great, like our country. Optimism, our country needs it, it must not fall into a spirit of withdrawal, of division. We still have many challenges, but we have the capacity to meet them.
Speaking of optimism, what is your prediction for the OM – Atalanta return match?
3 – 1 for OM, of course. What a great match in perspective! OM really has a very good audience of supporters.
