The decision on France’s energy choices “has not been taken”, insists Chantal Jouanno, president of the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP), who stresses the importance of opinions being expressed and heard on this subject.
The debates planned from Thursday on possible future nuclear reactors, but also a wider consultation organized by the government on energy, must “allow the public to participate in the development of the decision” which will then be voted by Parliament, says AFP the former Minister of Ecology.
Q: What debate(s) will the French be able to take part in, as parliamentarians are due to start drafting the law on the country’s energy future next spring?
Chantal Jouanno: “We were asked by EDF in 2021 to advise on the preparation of our referral on the new nuclear (program). We saw that the file was moving forward quickly. This led us to issue a recommendation, indicating that before any public debate on a reactor construction project, it would be appropriate to discuss the place of nuclear power in the energy mix. The government followed up and said that it would organize this national consultation (which began on October 20, editor’s note). As for the public debate on the revival of the new nuclear power and in particular the EPR projects at Penly, it will open on October 27.”
Q: However, you will be the guarantor of the governmental consultation on the future energy mix of France. What does this mean?
Chantal Jouanno: “The government has asked us to provide methodological advice on how to debate this issue with the entire population. The CNDP will guarantee the public the sincerity of the process: the fact that all the information will be on the table, that it will not only come from the State, and the fact that everyone can express themselves if they wish. The last point will be to guarantee that the data will be returned in neutral conditions. This work of data analysis is one of the most important: it is what had been lacking for example on the Great debate” (organized by the government after the Yellow Vests movement, editor’s note).
Q: How can we attract the widest possible audience to the debates, beyond the experts?
Chantal Jouanno: “This is the heart of the matter (…) In the history of public debates, the attendance has been very variable: in the cases where the law was voted before the debate, obviously the general public said that it was useless. But today, we are not in this case, the subject is on the public place and the interest is very shared. The purpose of this debate is to allow the public to participate in the elaboration of the decision, and our priority is that parliamentarians be able to receive and take into account everything that has been said. We insist heavily on this point: it is the energy and climate bill that will be the judge of peace.
Some people tell us “the government has decided everything because it has already announced it”. In fact, nothing is decided. And we know that the Parliament today has more and more independence from the executive power, given its composition. The game is open, and the conclusions can be a support for
parliamentarians. Finally, mobilization will also depend – sorry to put the
It is important to know how the politicians will communicate the existence of these debates.
If the Prime Minister and the ministers say, “We want to hear from you and build our bill around what you’re going to say”… that’s also what’s going to get people to participate. We need policymakers, who are the primary stakeholders in these debates, to show their interest.”
