The President of the Republic will travel this Wednesday to Gironde, a department ravaged for several days by two major fires. It should announce measures to fight against forest fires.
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Emmanuel Macron will go this Wednesday, July 20 to the scene of the fires in Gironde, learned franceinfo and France Bleu Gironde Tuesday afternoon, from a close friend of the president and a local elected official. The Elysée confirms this evening the trip of the President of the Republic, who will support the firefighters mobilized as well as the affected populations, while more than 20,000 hectares have burned in one week. Emmanuel Macron should, during this trip, make announcements in the fight against forest fires, according to an adviser contacted by franceinfo.
>> Fires in Gironde: follow the latest information in our live
The trip is also an opportunity to respond to certain concerns, expressed in particular by local elected officials in recent days. The president of the department of Gironde, Jean-Luc Gleyze, for example, directly challenged the president of the Republic, considering that the aerial protection fleet was insufficient.
In an open letter written with Xavier Fortinon, president of the Landes department and published by Le Figaro this Tuesday, he asks for a reinforcement of the means: “In France, we only have twelve Canadairs, called upon on both sides of the national and European territory according to needs. In addition to improving the working conditions of pilots […] we must also ensure their presence on a larger part of the territory.“The president of the Gironde department also calls for the constitution of a European Civil Security to deal with the large fires that are expected to multiply.
After his detour to the scene of the fire, Emmanuel Macron will go on Thursday to the Tour de France stage between Lourdes and Hautacam, in the Hautes-Pyrénées.