Parliament definitively adopted on Thursday July 20 the emergency bill to facilitate reconstruction work after the recent urban violence. This text had been promised on July 4 by Emmanuel Macron to the mayors whose cities had been affected by the riots. After a unanimous vote on Tuesday in the Senate, dominated by the right, this text was approved without change at the Palais-Bourbon by 260 votes for, 87 against, and 59 abstentions, which is worth final validation.
According to the Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Christophe Béchu, the bill makes it possible to “respond in a concrete and limited way not to the causes, but to the consequences of the riots” which followed the death of young Nahel M., killed by the shooting of a police officer during a road check in Nanterre on June 27.
The deputies of the National Rally (RN) were the only ones to vote against, believing that “the scum destroys and the French pay”. The elected officials of La France insoumise (LFI) abstained, deploring the absence of “immaterial response” to the rioters, in the words of Raquel Garrido. The Minister postponed this substantive subject to the next school year.
Town halls, schools, police stations: from Mons-en-Barœul, in the North, to Lormont, near Bordeaux, via Brie-Comte-Robert or Garges-lès-Gonesse, in the Paris region, more than 750 public buildings have been affected according to the government, to a greater or lesser extent. “I do not forget the 1,000 businesses vandalized and looted,” added Mr. Béchu, stressing that the figures “surpass the sad toll of the riots of 2005”. The total cost will not be known until the end of September. “We stand with those who must rebuild,” he said. But the exchanges at the Palais-Bourbon got worse.
The left-wing deputies tirelessly defended dozens of amendments to further reduce the time for reconstruction, to avoid having to empower the government to legislate by ordinances or to mention in the text of the law “intentional homicide” of Nahel, according to the wish of the “rebellious”. They have drawn the wrath of the presidential camp. “Do not come and act as firefighters after having acted as arsonists and accomplices of arsonists,” Mr. Béchu told them, referring to LFI’s refusal to explicitly call for appeasement during the violence.
Three articles authorizing the government to act by ordinance to accelerate reconstruction
On the far right, Marine Le Pen accused the “rebellious” of coming “to vomit [their] hatred of the police” and to use “any pretext to justify the riots”. The leader of the RN group did not spare the presidential majority: “You are constantly trying to make what happened invisible”, she launched, after having presented, on Wednesday, a battery of measures for “a republican start”. Main complaint of the RN group on the bill: State and communities will finance the reconstructions, which should be “exclusively borne by the thugs and their families”.
For the elected Les Républicains (LR) too, “it’s not up to the French to pay the bill”. But the right-wing group voted for the executive’s text, asking for justice to pass. Although also in support, environmentalists warned, through the voice of Sabrina Sebaihi: “You cannot find the only answers the baton for the quarters and the checkbook for the damage. “Soon, “we will have to ask you again about your policy,” also scolded the Communist Hubert Wulfranc.
In detail, the bill includes three articles authorizing the government to act by order to accelerate the reconstruction of public or private buildings, degraded or destroyed. The first provides for adaptations of the town planning code, for identical reconstructions or with improvements, for example environmental.
Preparatory work such as earthworks can be undertaken without waiting for planning permission. Article 2 concerns public procurement: there will be a competition but no prior advertising below a threshold which would be 1.5 million euros, according to Mr. Béchu.
The last article adapts the framework applicable to subsidies paid to local authorities. It opens up the possibility of a zero charge for communities and will allow them to recover VAT within the year, without waiting for the current two years.