It is perilous to walk on a ridge.
This, Barbara Pompili feels it hard since she rose to the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Ex-Europe-Ecologie-les Verts (EELV), his party of origin, became number three in a government which claims a “pragmatic” line crushed by elected officials and environmental associations.
“She knew she was entering an arena,” says a relative.
Its position is singular, uncomfortable, and requires pushing aside other ministries.
The elected representative of the Somme struggles to sit down.
With the arrival of the Climate and Resilience Bill, the difficulties and tensions reach their climax.
The minister is increasing the number of outings to give guarantees of her environmental ambition.
The key, internal clashes… Evidenced by the passing of arms on the meatless menus, which revealed the fractures tearing the government and the majority.
“His statement is provocative.
It infuriates many ministers ”, exasperates a historical Walker.
"She is right", contradicts a familiar with the executive, thinking how much the climate cause weighs in public opinion.
Again this Thursday, the President of the National Assembly, Richard Ferrand, gave him a scud on Twitter after an interview with Reporterre where the minister warns that she will not accept "any decline in ambition" during the examination of the text in Parliament.
Laudable intention, it being specified that the Parliament is sovereign in the development and the vote of the law.
https://t.co/7sbWDN6cpC
- Richard Ferrand (@RichardFerrand) February 25, 2021
Pompili irritates internally, where many have, moreover, never forgiven him his past statements, on glyphosate for example.
And if one of her friends assures that the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, is for her "a real support", if LREM deputies take up their cause for her, she appears isolated within the government.
"This is not her line, these are not her friends, this is not her school, she is alone", slices a ministerial adviser.
“Barbara Pompili needs to work.
It has no political weight and surface.
So it should do three times as much to try to win, ”says a minister echoing.
"Either way, she's doing too much.
Either she is not doing enough ”, retorts his friend François de Rugy, stressing that“ the scale of the task is immense ”.
Suspected of thinking "next time"
Also latent are the doubts about his loyalty to Emmanuel Macron when 2022 comes, the suspicion that Pompili would make “the popol” and think “next time, to survive the alternations”, as some ministers say.
Especially since she co-founded a party, En Commun - "people who are in En Marche and who are going to go to another shop", squeaks a LREM executive.
A collective of the left wing to which she is very attached and which claims to make its voice heard.
"They are not used to that", observes a relative of this movement.
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“Debate does not preclude loyalty and loyalty does not exclude convictions.
He has often been attributed a lot of hidden intentions that were never his.
Ecology is the fight of his whole life.
She is not there to make up the figures.
She is fighting, ”defends her ally and vice-president of En Commun, Hugues Renson.
"She traces, she has no moods, or hesitations"
The person receives the criticism with a shrug of the shoulders to better signify that she does not care.
"She traces, she has no moods, or hesitation," insists those around her.
Problem, if Pompili appears "more radical" than his colleagues, she also wipes the criticism of the ecologists who consider his policy too little ambitious.
"They're waiting for us around the corner, and paf!
»Retorts Rugy, for whom« to be Minister of Ecology, when one comes from this current of political thought, it is to be confronted with the permanent trial in treachery and retreat of the Greens ».
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The battle is decidedly tough.
An old acquaintance however feels at home "the desire to land her text that she has taken head-on", sees it "as a determining sequence for her".
Within the executive, everyone has in mind that this ministerial chair has already changed occupant four times during the five-year term.
Hence this comment from a minister: “The reality is that Macron cannot afford a failure with her either.
"