You were first elected five years ago. Without making an exhaustive assessment, how do you feel about this mandate?
Brahim HAMMOUCHE, MP : “These five years, I have not seen them pass. The political challenge is to respond to the challenge of this acceleration of the transformations of society. Who was talking, for example, of telemedicine five years ago? This is an amendment that I made in 2018 and which was implemented in 2020 during the Covid crisis […] Political and civic action must support these transformations. These are the three pillars of the recovery plan: business competitiveness, ecology and territorial cohesion. […] In five years, we have sown things that now need to be germinated. »
You welcome a recovery in the economy, but it is accompanied by a surge in energy prices which is putting the Saarstahl factory in Hayange in particular in difficulty. What is your commitment to this case?
“This is a file that I follow very closely, in conjunction with the Minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The current problem is first of all cyclical and this will not be solved by political agitation! The joint takeover of the two sites of Hayange and Saint-Saulve was the deal accepted by Saarstahl. In particular, the government has asked for negotiations on contracts with the SNCF. Things are done, but it’s not just the government’s business, we must also move forward with Saarstahl and the social partners to regulate the inflationary mechanism. »
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The future of industrial wastelands and, in particular, that of the Hayange blast furnace site, is a matter of concern…
“Today, it is up to the Val de Fensch to provide projects that the State can support. I remind you that a “wasteland fund” has been set up… It would be logical, on such a subject, for the president of the agglomeration community to get in touch with the deputy, but, until then, it is not the case. »
For the new section of the A31 bis motorway, the idea of a route (F5) through the wasteland of the coking plant has the support of local elected officials. You are defending another position…
“The A31 bis must respond to three points: urgency, acceptability for the population and environmental respect. This new F5 layout does not respond to the emergency. I am a man of the valley and of common sense. In Gandrange, fourteen years after the cessation of activity, the steelworks has still not been dismantled… This F5 route (like the F4 crossing Florange) also carries the risk of a new injustice for the population of the Valley, already subject to early excess mortality due to environmental and industrial pollution […] The choice for me remains the F10 (via Illange, editor’s note) which meets the three requirements. If it’s not the F10, I fear that the motorway, via the F5, will become a new Arlesian. »
The possible merger of the intermunicipalities of Portes de France-Thionville and Val de Fensch is stirring up the local political debate. What is your point of view ?
“We are talking about a new “urban community”, I would have liked to hear about “human community” […] Basically, we do not yet know what will happen, we will have to see the difficulties that it will raise, I am simply pointing out inconsistencies. What is the added value of this merger? It seems to me that the local authority of Moselle is able to respond to the challenges. If I were a departmental adviser, I would rather plead for the reinforcement of the Department. I hear people talking about the urban community of Thionville, but the Fensch must not be destined to become the suburbs of Thionville. I hear that we could do the weight against Luxembourg, but it seems to me that we have created a border metropolitan center (PMF) bringing together eight intermunicipalities. Eight intermunicipalities do not make the weight, but two together would? On this subject, we cannot do without a citizen consultation, a public debate. »
We are entering an election year, will you run for a second term?
“My priority is to remain at the service of citizens until the end of the mandate to carry all the files entrusted to me. The second stage is the presidential election. It’s no secret that I will fully support Emmanuel Macron’s candidacy. Then, will it be me or someone else? I think with humility that there are still things to do to embody the Republic, but the decision has not been made. »
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