A decision over an incineration plant has caused the majority political group, Union Monégasque and Renaissance to react after a recent article was published in which Marie-Pierre Gramagia confirmed that “the waste incineration plant will remain in the Principality.” They considered this information all the more astonishing as it contradicted the remarks of Serge Telle published in the edition of Monaco-Hebdo on 2nd of March.
Here is their reaction: “The National Council is the unavoidable constitutional partner of the Princely government. Far from going along with any plans, the large majority of elected representatives is being particularly vigilant and committed to the respect for institutional practices based on trust and transparency, but also on consultation and on the principle of necessary prior information. A few months after the delicate episode of the acquisition of the port of Ventimiglia with the discovery of the finalisation of the operation by the national councillors in the local press, the National Council is again facing decisions already taken by the government. The subject this time is the debate surrounding the incineration plant. As the Minister of State said in the press just recently, “the decision was not completely set in stone.” Yet Monegasque elected representatives discovered that the final choice of the reconstruction of the in situ incineration plant had been finalised and “the process of requalification had been launched”. The Minister of State publicised the 2017 budget (end of 2016) to return to the elected officials to inform them of the evolution of the reflections and the result of all the studies that would be undertaken by the government. Intense but respectful discussions of each other’s views had also made it possible to enrich the debate during a plenary study committee on 11 October 2016. Trust in approaching each other cannot be one-sided. This can only be accomplished if the two institutional partners play fairly.”
A defining topic
For their part, the elected representatives of Horizon Monaco and Laurent Nouvion “take note of the government’s decision to keep the incineration plant in situ. On the merits, the government has decided to keep control of its waste by reducing the size of the plant, which is what we have always defended. We will therefore be attentive to this, and the next tender calls for a high-performance plant, a pilot project in Europe for public health. We have every confidence in the government of the Prince who will do everything possible to preserve the health of our countrymen and of our children. As for the form, it shows that the vague gestures of this new majority have served little purpose.”
For decades, and especially in the last five years, the debate on the incineration plant has been ongoing. The subject is obviously an important one for the Principality. It has led to bitter discussions and there is likely to be continued controversy regarding the incineration plant decision in the near future.