This is not really a surprise. Transport Minister Clément Beaune confirmed on Tuesday on France Inter the A69 motorway project between Toulouse and Castres "which has been the subject of many political and judicial decisions". "We have to move forward," he said, while saying the project would be "improved by reducing its environmental impact." Clément Beaune, however, did not specify how he intended to go about this last point.
Last April, thousands of demonstrators gathered on the spot to denounce the ecological impact of the project.
"We have to move forward!" @CBeaune, Minister of Transport, defends the A69 between Castres and Toulouse, "which has been the subject of many political and judicial decisions", but ensures that several other motorway projects, "not yet launched", will be "stopped".#le710inter pic.twitter.com/rof78BNOA2
— France Inter (@franceinter) September 26, 2023
These statements come two days after the environmental activist Thomas Brail was dislodged from the tree he occupied in front of the Ministry of Ecological Transition. He had been on hunger strike for 24 days to protest against this motorway project which must extend by 2025 over 53 km through twenty municipalities of the Tarn and Haute-Garonne. "I hear that some are opposed to the project. They even have the right to carry out actions as long as it is peaceful and non-violent, "said Clément Beaune, referring to the case of Thomas Brail.
"Other projects" stopped
Green MP Sandrine Rousseau immediately reacted on X (ex-Twitter). "Clément Beaune confirms the A69. This is the desire for ecological planning," she said.
Clément Beaune confirms the #A69.
This is the desire for ecological planning.
— Sandrine Rousseau (@sandrousseau) September 26, 2023
Clément Beaune also assured that other motorway projects that were about to be launched would be stopped, without specifying which ones. "We will reduce the environmental impact of ongoing projects," he added. "In the age of ecological planning, we can't do what we used to."
