Portrait of Emmanuel Macron
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Emmanuel Macron on Convention Citoyenne

Committed implementer (strong)

TL;DR

Emmanuel Macron initially backed the Convention Citoyenne, promising to enact most of its climate proposals without filtering.

Key Points

  • He committed to enacting 146 of the 149 proposals made by the citizens assembly in June 2020.

  • The president ultimately rejected proposals for a constitutional amendment putting the environment above all other values, a 4% tax on dividends, and the 110 km/h speed limit.

  • The head of state announced that he would champion the enshrining of the international crime of ecocide in international law.

Summary

Emmanuel Macron commissioned the Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat (CCC) in April 2019 following the Yellow Vest protests with the goal of finding solutions to reduce French greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030, in the spirit of social justice. He committed to not filter the recommendations generated by the 150 randomly selected citizens, stating that their measures would be enacted via national referendum, parliamentary vote, or executive order. This commitment established the process as a significant democratic experiment with a mandate to write policy, rather than merely consult.

His formal response in June 2020 saw the president pledge to implement 146 of the 149 proposals, indicating a strong initial acceptance of the CCC’s work. However, the implementation process revealed friction, as he publicly rejected three key measures: a constitutional amendment placing the environment above other fundamental values, a 4% tax on dividends, and a speed limit reduction to 110 km/h, arguing some proposals had constitutional implications or would harm economic competitiveness. He also supported championing the international crime of ecocide.

Key Quotes

“Many were calling this idea fanciful and illegitimate. We decided to trust the citizens, which complements and enriches parliamentary democracy,”

“You propose to rewrite the preamble of the Constitution by placing the environment above our other fundamental values. As proposed, the wording for the preamble threatens to place environmental protection above our civil liberties. I do not wish to take up this proposal,”

Frequently Asked Questions

Emmanuel Macron was the initiator of the Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat, commissioning it in 2019. He initially promised to accept the outcomes without filtering, indicating a strong, positive commitment to the deliberative process.

The president stated he would not implement three proposals out of 149. These concerned amending the Constitution to place the environment above all other fundamental values, imposing a 4% tax on dividends, and reducing the motorway speed limit to 110 km/h.

He defended the legitimacy of the Convention Citoyenne, stating that it complemented and enriched representative democracy by trusting randomly selected citizens. However, he later noted that citizens' proposals should not be treated as dogma, saying they are not the Bible or the Koran.