Several positions in the Attal government are still vacant on Sunday February 28. Some ministries are in difficulty.
After the appointment of 14 ministers on January 11, several positions in the Attal government are still vacant on Sunday January 28. These positions concern housing, transport, the city, the sea, biodiversity, and overseas. President Emmanuel Macron and Gabriel Attal have decided to wait. The rest of the appointments should take place after the Prime Minister’s general policy speech on January 30.
It is at Bercy that this wait is felt the most. The fate has not yet been decided for the delegate ministers of industry, budget and digital transition. “We are in a gray area. The organization of ministries was not designed for double-default reshuffles,” believes Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate in charge of the Digital Transition. According to Le Monde, some already know that they will be able to return to their position, like Stanislas Guerini in the civil service or Roland Lescure in Industry. Conversely, others should leave: Clément Beaune for transport, Philippe Vigier for overseas or Sabrina Agresti-Roubache for the city. Some would also try to keep their place, like Dominique Faure from local authorities or Fadila Khattabi from disabled people.
Furthermore, between 200 and 300 members of ministerial cabinets are no longer part of the workforce. A “fall bonus” of 2,000 euros gross was paid to them. It is usually given when a firm is dissolved. Several ministries are in difficulty. Hervé Berville, in charge of the sea, has not yet been reappointed or replaced, while a fishing zone in the Bay of Biscay has been closed. Same thing for Patrice Vergriete in housing, while the country suffered a cold spell and 3,000 children live on the street, according to associations. “No housing minister has yet been appointed. If it is a deliberate choice, it is a major political error given the scale of the crisis,” protests Pascal Boulanger, president of the Federation real estate developers. Without Patrice Vergriete, the portfolio temporarily falls to the Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu. He also has to deal with transport and the sea, with a firm of 15 people doing the work of 45 employees usually. The files are also piling up for Catherine Vautrin, in charge of work, health and solidarity, while no delegate minister has yet been appointed to health.
