Emmanuel Macron has chosen Marc Papinutti, current chief of staff of the Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu, to lead the Transport Regulatory Authority (ART), the Elysée announced on Friday evening.
"The President of the Republic plans, on the proposal of the Prime Minister, to appoint Marc Papinutti as President of the Transport Regulatory Authority
," said the presidency in a press release.
Formerly Araf then Arafer, ART is an independent authority which, originally created to support the opening up of the rail market to competition, has seen its powers gradually extend to other modes of transport: motorways, interurban transport by coach, and airport charges.
It was she who, for example, proposed to the State in January, in a report, to favor shorter contracts for motorway concessions, the main ones of which will expire between 2031 and 2036, in order to give it more room for maneuver.
To be effective, this appointment will have to receive the green light from the appropriate committees of the National Assembly and the Senate.
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Marc Papinutti, 63, is a civil engineer.
Chief of staff to the current Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne when she held the Transport portfolio (2017-2019), he had previously notably directed the Waterways of France, since 2010. Before taking the head of the cabinet of Christophe Béchu, last July, Marc Papinutti had been director of the central administration for infrastructure, transport and the sea. If his appointment is confirmed, he will succeed Bernard Roman, whose term of office expired at the beginning of August 2022 and who had not been formally replaced.
The interim has since been provided by one of the vice-presidents of ART, Philippe Richert.
