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Reshuffle: Jean Castex, from “Monsieur déconfinement” to Prime Minister

2020-07-03T14:24:02.377Z


On the front line to orchestrate the deconfinement a few weeks ago, the interdepartmental delegate to the 2024 Olympic Games replaced


He was the "Mister deconfinement" of the Government, he is now its head. Appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron after the resignation of Edouard Philippe on Friday, the one who was responsible for coordinating the gradual lifting of restrictions related to confinement therefore moved to Matignon. "A real Swiss army knife," say those who are used to working with this 54-year-old high-ranking official, who went through the ENA, the Cour des comptes and the prefecture of Vaucluse, where he was secretary general. "When I learned of his mission regarding deconfinement, I sent him a message assuring him that the file was in good hands," says Stéphane Troussel, PS president of the Seine-Saint-Denis department.

The two men have rubbed shoulders regularly since Jean Castex was appointed interministerial delegate to the Olympic Games, on the evening of the allocation of the Olympic Games in Paris, September 13, 2017. "From the start, he sought to create an interpersonal relationship with everyone elected officials from Seine-Saint-Denis (Editor's note: the department which will host several Olympic events in 2024 and where the aquatic center, the Olympic village and the media village will be built) . We were all quickly put in trust with him. It must be said that the (very) sympathetic Jean Castex and his singing accent leave no one indifferent.

"I met him for the first time in 2005, when I was Secretary of State responsible for health insurance, recalls Xavier Bertrand, now President of the Hauts-de-France region. I had to interview two people, including him, to find a director of hospitalization and organization of care. The meeting took place one morning at 7 am and lasted a crazy time. At the end of the interview, I said to my minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy: It's him, don't bother to see someone else! "

"An organizer and a pragmatic"

A few months later, when he was appointed Minister of Health, Xavier Bertrand made Jean Castex - "An organizer and a pragmatist" - his chief of staff. "It was he who implemented the pandemic plan during the bird flu crisis as well as the doctrine on state stocks of masks," he said. Suffice to say that he knows his subject! "

Passionate, in good Catalan, rugby, who was secretary general of the Elysee at the time of Nicolas Sarkozy, has more than one string to his bow. "When it was necessary to appoint an interministerial delegate to the Olympic Games, Matignon looked for someone who perfectly masters the State apparatus and who at the same time is capable of understanding the challenges of the Mayor of Paris, of the President of the Ile-de-France region and elected officials from the departments, ”recalls a government official. Quickly, Jean Castex, re-elected mayor LR of Prades in the first round last March with 75% of the vote, had to get his hands dirty, when in early 2018, a report of the general inspectorate of finance pointed to possible slippages in the budget of the Olympic Games.

To avoid the additional costs, in particular of the future aquatic center, the “Mr. JO” must convince the elected officials of 93, to review part of their copy. "We were all ready to climb the curtain, especially because the media village of Le Bourget was threatened," recalls Stéphane Troussel. Jean, by his sense of the collective, of the general interest, by his way of reconciling points of view, made sure that each one takes his responsibilities. Seine-Saint-Denis also owes him € 15 million in aid, torn from the last stretch of the negotiations, to support the swimming pool plan. "

"He tries every time to find solutions"

The man, also president of the National Sports Agency created in April 2019, is unanimous today with all the actors of the OJ dossier, whatever their political affiliation. “Jean manages to do things with a friendly and respectful work environment. Each time he tries to find solutions, which attracts the respect of all his interlocutors, details a close to the government. However, being sympathetic does not prevent him from arbitrating on a certain number of subjects. "

"A high official, cash with very clear ideas, who did not allow himself to be impressed at all by the minister that I was," recalls Xavier Bertrand. "If it is necessary to call the President of the Republic or the Prime Minister directly to advance a file which he feels is misguided, he knows how to do it," summed up a relative. For a time, his name circulated to replace Gérard Collomb in Beauvau. We still thought of him for the presidency of the SNCF.

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"Jean is a man of networks but not in the sense that many understand him," says a relative. He is not in a court game but knows a lot of people. He has an ability to adapt to all universes, knows how the state apparatus works and has become a man of complex projects of national scope: the Olympic Games, the future of the Stade de France, the deconfinement plan … ”And now Matignon.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2020-07-03

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