Today's Date:

Speech by M. François Fillon, Prime Minister, (excerpts)

(…)

Over the past three months, you have reached a shared assessment of the environmental emergency. You have conducted a fruitful dialogue between players despite their being more used to disagreeing than conversing with each other. That's already a success in itself. It's even more of a success in that all issues were tackled, even the most contentious. You talked about GMOs and discussed waste treatment. You came up with 1,000 proposals. You've made up for ten years of hesitation in confronting the environmental emergency.

(…)

I'm obviously asking you to try and find as many points of agreement as possible. And, before you, I solemnly undertake to ensure that all the specific, concrete, consensual conclusions are implemented. Where there are differences of view, President Sarkozy, the government and Parliament will decide. But I also want to tell you that we shall take advantage of the administrative reforms to ensure that environmental concerns are taken on board at every level. Implementation of the action programme decided on by the Grenelle Environment Forum will be my government's priority.

(…)

What I, Jean-Louis Borloo and President Sarkozy are banking on is that the Grenelle Environment Forum will signal the end of a paralyzing incompatibility between environmental protection and development. We are banking on the Grenelle Environment Forum signalling the start of a new approach. Of course, we're not working solely for our country but for the whole planet. We won't keep the fruit of your labours for ourselves. (…)./.

(conference bringing together the government, local authorities, trade unions, business and voluntary sectors to draw up a plan of action of concrete measures to tackle the environmental issue. The name "Grenelle” comes from the first conference bringing all these players together which took place in May 1968 in the Rue de Grenelle).