“By decree of the President of the Republic dated August 16, 2022, Mrs. Emmanuelle Wargon is appointed President of the Energy Regulation Commission“, indicates the text published in Official newspaper Wednesday, August 17. The name of the former Secretary of State for Ecology (2018-2020), then Minister of Housing (2020-2022) was proposed in July by Emmanuel Macron to chair the CRE, the independent authority responsible for guaranteeing the proper functioning of the French energy markets.
However, at the beginning of August, the parliamentarians had mainly expressed themselves against his arrival at the head of the energy regulator. After being landed from the government in May, and sharply beaten in the legislative elections in Val-de-Marne, she had collected a total of 43 votes for and 48 votes against her appointment in the two chambers. Not enough to derail his appointment since article 13 of the Constitution indicates that parliamentarians must meet “at least three-fifths of the votes cast“to oppose a nomination proposed by theElysed.
Very honored by the confidence of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister.
As I committed to during the parliamentary hearings, with the support of the National Assembly, I will exercise my mandate in complete independence, at the service of the French people. https://t.co/sh27bymDRG— Emmanuelle Wargon (@EmmWargon) August 17, 2022
On the side of the oppositions, this nomination does not pass. “Emmanuel Macron imposes Emmanuelle Wargon“, annoys the deputy president of the RN group Jean-Philippe Tanguy, when the left denounced a “fait du prince” in early August.
The President of the Republic has the right to appoint the presidents of the independent administrative authorities (IAA). Former Prime Minister Jean Castex was appointed by Emmanuel Macron, on the proposal of Elisabeth Borne, at the head of the Agency for financing transport infrastructure in France (AFIT). This authority contributes to the financing of major mobility projects within the framework of the strategy set by the government, without having any decision-making power. An establishment which was nevertheless considered to be of little use by several reports from the Court of Auditors, described in particular as “almost an empty shell” and which, according to the financial magistrates, would only serve the Ministry of Transport to circumvent the budgetary law, according to a summary of 2016.
At the end of July, by a presidential decree, the former Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn arrived at the Court of Auditors for five non-renewable years. Last February, Jacqueline Gourault, then Minister for Territorial Cohesion, was offered a seat on the Constitutional Council.
But the recasing of former ministers by theElysée reaches its limits. “We won’t be able to do this everywhere“, warns a spawn of macronie and some “ex” would be worried about a risk of controversy. Questions remain as to the future of old fellow travelers, like Christophe Castaner, one of the big losers in the legislative elections, now without Some assure that he is looking in the private sector, others that he could be interested in Ademe, the ecological transition agency, so he too could benefit from a presidential boost.