A69 motorway: LFI's motion to reject the text propels it into joint committee

The Insoumis trapped by their own strategy: on Monday, June 2, MPs approved a motion to reject the LFI (Luxembourg Law) against a Renaissance bill aimed at legally securing the A69 construction site, with the effect of accelerating the legislative process of the bill by sending it directly to a joint committee of MPs and senators.

The motion to reject the proposal was unanimously approved, with the Common Core and far-right groups joining their voices to those of LFI, despite its opposition.

Rapporteur Jean Terlier (Renaissance) supported the motion, citing "obstruction" by La France Insoumise and the environmentalists, who had submitted almost all of the more than 700 amendments tabled, including just over 230 that were declared admissible. The government, for its part, gave a "wise opinion" (neither for nor against).

Last week, the Common Core and National Rally (RN) MPs, in a fairly similar tactic, adopted a motion to reject the Duplomb-Menonville bill on restrictions on farming, in order to speed up the debate and send the bill to the joint committee. The motion was tabled by the bill's rapporteur himself, Julien Dive (LR).

"This is now the second time you have hijacked the motion to reject parliamentary article 49.3," thundered the president of the LFI group, Mathilde Panot, threatening to refer the matter to the Constitutional Council for undermining the "sincerity of the debates" and the "right of amendment." The Val-de-Marne MP, however, considered that the government coalition had "offered a victory" to the Insoumis, "since the only vote in the National Assembly on the A69 was to reject this text."

"It's the biter biting himself," Jean Terlier replied. "Next time, you'll think twice before tabling a motion of rejection and more than 700 amendments," said the Tarn MP, recalling that the text received "a large vote" during its examination in committee.

According to sources in the environmental and social group, the latter asked the LFI group to withdraw its motion of rejection, without convincing it.

But EELV MP Christine Arrighi said she understood LFI's choice, which she said was a "way of demonstrating that Ensemble pour la République (Gabriel Attal's Macronist group, editor's note) is hijacking the parliamentary procedure."

The text presented by Jean Terlier, already adopted by the Senate , aims to give the construction site of the motorway which is to link Castres and Toulouse an "imperative reason of major public interest" , opening the way to exemptions from the protection of species, in the name of opening up the territory.

By retroactively validating environmental permits, it could thus prevent a possible new halt to work .

The administrative court of appeal has indeed authorized their resumption, "in mid-June" according to the government, but it ruled only on an urgent appeal by the State, and must still decide on the merits in several months.

At the opening of the session on Monday, the Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot stressed the "particular importance" of the text "for territorial development" as well as for the "legal security of our major infrastructures" , while issuing, as in the Senate, a wise opinion on the substance (neither for nor against).

On the other hand, the Green and Insoumis deputies, like Anne Stambach-Terrenoir (LFI), see it as "yet another forced passage for this absurd motorway project which literally runs alongside a national road which could have been redeveloped" , and a desire "to crush a judicial decision" which had invalidated the environmental authorisations.

The A69 was originally scheduled to be opened by the end of 2025 , according to the company Atosca, which is in charge of the work, but the deadline will not be met. To complete the project, the company must repatriate a thousand employees and numerous machines to the Tarn region.

For their part, opponents are organizing. A large-scale demonstration has been called for July 4, 5, and 6 near the construction site.

A symbolic action also took place on Monday morning near the Assembly: an activist from the National Tree Surveillance Group (GNSA) briefly perched in a tree, unfurling banners, such as "No to the validation law" or "Stop the A69" .