CNR. The National Council for Refoundation is launched this Thursday, September 8, 2022. A new institution supposed to bring together all the political forces but shunned by a large part of the elected officials. Unions will also be absent. What’s the point ? What is its composition? Explanations.
[Mis à jour le 8 septembre 2022 à 09h21] “We are in a historic era which requires a profound change of model and then, the war is there.” It is in these terms that Emmanuel Macron had justified, since June 2022, the creation of a National Council for Refoundation, officially launched this Thursday, September 8, 2022 in Marcoussis (Essonne), supposed to bring together the different political forces of the country, but also economic, social and associative actors, as well as citizens drawn by lot. But many of them shunned the invitation of the President of the Republic. The oppositions will not go to the National Center for Rugby – selected as a meeting place (a CNR at … CNR!) -, just like many trade unions.
Main reason for these refusals: the vague contours of this new institution, especially since the Parliament (and in particular the National Assembly) is already particularly dynamic given the multiplicity and weight of the various political groups. Moreover, as part of the continuity of the Great National Debate or even the Citizens’ Convention on the Climate, this CNR does not arouse much enthusiasm, guests evoking the little effect of the two other initiatives, even if the macronists s strive to defend them and praise their effects. Shunned and criticized, this National Council for Refoundation is nevertheless sold as the main weapon of the “new method” advocated by Emmanuel Macron which will be directed… by an old veteran of politics: François Bayrou. But what do we really know about this new organization? Who participates? What to expect? Explanations.
Let us come back to the principle and the way in which this National Council for Refoundation must be articulated: if this body wants to bring together the representatives of the main parties, the trade unions of workers and business leaders, as well as citizens drawn by lot, it is for one reason: to discuss the major reforms to be undertaken in advance. Emmanuel Macron wishes to promote a new method in the process leading to the major decisions to be taken on historical issues: ecological transition, health and the aging of the population, industrialization. The Head of State is counting on the CNR to give more weight and consistency to participatory democracy, which is expressed with great difficulty in France given our very vertical, rigid institutions, giving a very concentrated power in the hands of the executive.
The National Council for Refoundation brings together, unsurprisingly, the forces of the majority: La République en Marche, whose members are fervent defenders of the project and will be present during the discussions, and the MoDem, which has joined forces with the presidential majority since 2017. The presence of the political party is not surprising since its leader, François Bayrou, is in charge of the body’s general secretariat. The Phillipist Horizons party will also be there, but without Edouard Philippe. The mayor of Le Havre traveling to Quebec on September 8 says he wants to leave room for another local elected representative to represent him, but behind the scenes those close to the former Prime Minister confide in France info that “Edouard Philippe absolutely does not believe in the CNR”.
Still on the political side, local elected officials will also be stakeholders in the CNR, in particular the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), the Assembly of French Departments (ADF) and Regions of France. The three organizations had first declined Emmanuel Macron’s invitation before changing their minds after an interview with the Head of State on September 5.
The Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Cese) will also be there to “take its part in a refoundation that it has been calling for for a long time” in the words of its president Thierry Beaudet in the Figaro. Only two unions, the CFDT and the CFTC, responded to the CNR’s invitation to give consultation a chance, but without any illusions. Finally, two economic organizations will take their places on the benches of the new council: the Medef and the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CPME).
It is an almost general boycott, from the Nupes to the National Rally via the Republicans, of the opposition parties to this new body of dialogue wanted by Emmanuel Macron. Among the Republicans, “it is out of the question to participate in all this; that the President of the Republic do the institutional work which must be his”, indicated the president of the LR deputies, Olivier Marleix. Same story at the National Rally which evokes a “scam” and “one more thing”, according to RN spokesperson Laure Lavalette. A far-right decision dictated by Marine Le Pen who had already refused to participate “in any structure whatsoever which aims to withdraw power from the National Assembly” last June.
Within the alliance on the left, the situation is similar. According France info, the Socialist Party declined the invitation issued by the President of the Republic. EELV will not go there either, speaking of a “consensus” among the executives of the environmentalist party, explained to theAFP the number 2 of the party, Sandra Regol. “If it was a real working meeting, we would have gone there. But there, it sounds more like a communication tool. We didn’t see the point of going there,” she said. The party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon has also given up participating in the CNR. As for the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel denounced the objective of the project according to him which would be “the intention to circumvent a Parliament in which [Renaissance] does not have a majority.
On the union side, the CFDT agreed to go to the launch of the National Council for Refoundation, according to Release. “Our objective is to make the voice of civil society heard. Today, the period is too serious to desert the field of involvement”, indicated Marylise Léon, deputy general secretary of the centre. The CGT is not of the same opinion. Denouncing a blow of “communication”, Philippe Martinez railed against “extremely short deadlines” and against the lack of information on the project. The CFE-CGC, the executives’ union, also refused.
Will there be French citizens designated by chance in the National Council for Refoundation? If the idea of a draw of citizens was put on the table quickly, it is not certain that it will materialize. François Bayrou, who therefore directs this CNR, is against the establishment of a draw, but he assured (on LCI on September 7, 2022) that “citizens will express themselves on what they would like their world to become “, without defining the contours of this way of expression.
While the opposition is very critical of the new body for dialogue between politicians and union and association representatives, its operation remains unclear. In the letter of invitation to Thursday’s event, Emmanuel Macron indicates that the CNR aims to “build”, “in a spirit of dialogue and shared responsibilities”, “consensus on the situation of the country” and “design concrete solutions to the concerns of our fellow citizens”.
Elisabeth Borne provided more details on September 1 during a press briefing. “The purpose of this CNR is to make a common diagnosis, to share the constraints, to agree on the method and a timetable. It will intervene upstream of the legislative work and downstream, on the implementation”, he said. she indicated. Thus, five themes will therefore be addressed this Thursday: full employment, school, health, aging well and ecological transition. This new project launched by Emmanuel Macron will be available in each ministry which “will then have to continue the reflection in thematic CNR. For each theme, the actors concerned will be invited. The next CNRs in global format will meet under my presidency”, added the tenant of Matignon.