The day after his arrival in the Phocaean city, in which he must stay three days, Emmanuel Macron spoke this Thursday evening from the Pharo palace, to announce his plan “Marseille en grand”. A vast roadmap to help France’s second largest city. On the program: security, poverty, education and health.
“Your visit to Marseille is historic,” said Benoît Payan, mayor (PS) of the city, to Emmanuel Macron, before giving him the floor.
The speech of the Head of State was articulated around three pressing emergencies for the prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône: the security emergency, the social emergency, and the health emergency.
Eight million euros to equip Marseille police officers
In terms of security, Emmanuel Macron began his speech by recalling the need to fight drug trafficking which plagues certain districts of Marseille. Faced with “increasingly violent crime”, the Head of State announced the arrival of 200 additional police officers in 2022, and two CRS companies will be made permanent.
Eight million euros will be injected to equip Marseille police officers, both in digital means and in travel (cars or motorcycles). The state will also finance a new police station for the city, to the tune of 150 million euros. In addition to strengthening the police presence, the Head of State wishes to finance a large network of 500 CCTV cameras, particularly in the northern districts of the city and around schools, as well as the deployment of fiber.
It also calls for the recruitment of 30 additional educators as well as 30 mediators for neighborhoods in difficulty. The President of the Republic also wishes to allocate more resources to justice, and in particular announced the creation of new groups of investigators of the judicial police, to improve the “tracking” and the judicial follow-up of the “heads of networks” of narcotics. .
Almost 170 million euros to rehabilitate hospitals
Regarding health, the health crisis, insisted the Head of State, only highlighted the difficult access to care in certain districts of Marseille. In doing so, in the northern districts, the virus has progressed faster, and the population is less vaccinated than in the rest of the city, recalled Emmanuel Macron.
The State will therefore finance the rehabilitation of the Timone hospital and the North hospital, to the tune of 169 million euros. An additional 50 million euros will also be mobilized for the creation of a mother-child center, and the construction of a women’s center. A work schedule will soon be published.
Emmanuel Macron also wants efforts to be made to encourage doctors and other healthcare workers to relocate inside the city, in neighborhoods that lack them. “In the second largest city in France, there are medical deserts right in the middle of it,” regretted the president.
One billion euros for transport
Another subject on which the French president was eagerly awaited: transport. With only two metro lines, and always overcrowded, the second largest city in France is indeed very poorly served in terms of transport, especially from north to south of the city. Emmanuel Macron has therefore announced an investment of one billion euros for the automation of metro lines, as well as for the creation of four additional tram lines and five bus lines. He also wants to “modernize the port” of Marseille, “modernize infrastructure and invest in rail freight”.
A structure dedicated to financing the work of schools
On the educational side, the priority is first of all to offer young people from Marseilles and Marseilles healthy environments conducive to learning. The Head of State recalled that 174 schools – more than a third of the school park – in the city are considered to be in a state of disrepair, severely handicapping their students.
However, the renovation of schools is not the responsibility of the State, but of those of local communities. To be able to help the city finance the works, an ad hoc company will be created, chaired by the mayor of Marseille and in which the State will invest the money necessary for the overhaul of these schools. Emmanuel Macron hopes that this company will be able to see the light of day by the end of the year.
Beyond the infrastructure problems, the President of the Republic also wishes to see the birth of “the school of the future” in the Marseille city. This involves giving more freedom to school directors: they could be able to choose their teaching team.
Teachers must also be able to choose the neighborhoods in which they want to work, according to Emmanuel Macron. To improve support for students in difficulty, he also announced the creation of ten micro-colleges and ten micro-schools in Marseille for the start of the 2022 school year.
Bring together young people and business leaders
Another subject discussed: training. Alongside school, the State’s objective is also to support young people in their plans for the future. Emmanuel Macron wishes in particular to bet on entrepreneurship, and announced “Three hubs of entrepreneurship” in Marseille, organizations through which young people with project ideas can be financed, supported and trained by business leaders, associations or other players in the local economy. He also mentioned the development of voluntary military service for young people from difficult neighborhoods in Marseille. In total, 100 young people will be able to be supported from the fall by army services.
Ultimately, the State will bring in total to Marseille some 1.5 billion euros in new funding, mainly for transport but also for culture and security, detailed the Elysee after the presidential speech, without however delivering any more details. In addition, Emmanuel Macron will return in October and February to Marseille to take stock of the commitments. Two trips which will take place only a few weeks before the presidential election and which will undoubtedly be very observed.
