While striking employees point to a deterioration of the monument due to poor financial management, Rachida Dati calls on Paris town hall to “initiate a classification procedure” for historical monuments. Emmanuel Grégoire, Anne Hidalgo’s first deputy, says he is ready to “discuss it”.
“Today the Eiffel Tower does not have sufficient protection“, says Rachida Dati on. While the unions continue on the fifth consecutive day of strike to warn about the lack of maintenance of the monument, particularly concerning paint and rust, the Minister of Culture judges that “it is necessary to initiate a classification procedure“.
Inaugurated in 1889, the Iron Lady is not “classified” as a historic monument. However, it has been “listed” as a historic monument since 1964, and also a UNESCO world heritage site since 1991.
Two levels of protection for historic monuments are in fact planned, explains the Ministry of Culture to France 3 Paris Île-de-France:
- The first level: registration, which concerns buildings with remarkable historical or artistic preservation interest, “by order of the regional prefect after advice from the regional heritage and architecture commission“.
- The second level: classification, for buildings of public conservation interest, “by order of the Minister of Culture after advice from the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture“. To note that “the average State subsidy rates are different depending on whether the building is classified (no legal limit, average rate of 30 to 40%) or registered (legal limit of 40%, average rate of 20%)“.
Still according to the ministry, the capital today has 1,918 buildings protected as historic monuments, including 410 classified and 1,508 registered. Nationally, there are 45,898 protected buildings, including 14,885 classified and 31,013 registered.
On X, Rachida Dati indicates that a classification of the Eiffel Tower “would allow him to benefit“of a”scientific and technical control of the state” And “if necessary to undertake official work“.
Today the #Eiffel Tower does not have sufficient protection.
For this it is necessary to initiate a classification procedure.
This would allow him to benefit from:
🔵a scientific and technical control of the State
🔵if necessary to undertake office work
⬇️— Rachida Dati ن (@datirachida) February 22, 2024
“I do not understand what is stopping the Mayor of Paris from initiating this approach with the Ministry of Culture. Because it is up to her to do so… I am ready to receive this request in order to initiate the classification procedure as quickly as possible“, assures the mayor (ex-LR) of the 7th arrondissement, and already a candidate for mayor of Paris in 2026. The City is 99% owner of the Eiffel Tower Operating Company (Sete).
“Restoration work on a listed building is carried out under the supervision of a qualified architect“, while for a building registers the construction sites “are carried out under the supervision of an architect freely chosen by the owner (as part of competitive bidding when the owner is public)“, specifies the Ministry of Culture.
“The State may give formal notice to the owner of a listed building to carry out the work strictly necessary for the conservation of this building; he can carry out this work automatically, if the owner does not comply with the formal notice“, continues the ministry.
A procedure “very rare“, which occurs once or twice a year: “If the owner responds to the formal notice, the State pays him a subsidy the amount of which cannot be less than 50% of the total cost. In the event of official work, it is the State which is reimbursed by the owner half of the cost of the work. The owner can always exempt himself from his debt by relinquishing ownership of his monument to the State.“
“We are ready to discuss with Rachida Dati“, responds this Friday Emmanuel Grégoire, the first deputy of the mayor (PS) Anne Hidalgo, on South Radio. “We will discuss it with her because in principle, I am not closed to hypotheses“, he declares.
Emmanuel Grégoire indicates, however, that the Eiffel Tower is “in a classified site” : “On a legal level, this monument benefits from the highest heritage protections with the assent of the ABF (architects of the Bâtiments de France, Editor’s note) and the question of the Unesco protected sector“.
“I think there’s a bit of skill“from Rachida Dati, also notes the first deputy, who recognizes”a complicated relationship on the local political level“.”On a legal level, it can also propose (the classification), it has the right to do so“, he assures. “But we try, from the point of view of the City of Paris, not to confuse the issues and the deadlines, we must work in the interest of everyone“, adds Emmanuel Grégoire.
The Ministry of Culture specifies that “unlike registration which does not require the agreement of the owner, a building can only be classified by order of the Minister of Culture with the agreement of the owner. In the event of refusal of agreement by the owner, a building can only be classified by decree of the Council of State, this procedure being reserved for completely exceptional cases.”
When contacted, the Paris town hall did not respond to our requests.