Gilles de Margerie, who has led the French authorities’s coverage evaluation institute France Stratégie since 2018, has served because the French Co-Director of the Franco-German Forum for the Future since its founding in 2020. As de Margerie’s time period of workplace as Commissioner Basic at France Stratégie attracts to an in depth, his German counterpart Frank Baasner spoke with him in regards to the Discussion board’s achievements.
You helped to put the groundwork for this new initiative for Franco-German cooperation, which was established below the Treaty of Aachen. What highlights from the Discussion board’s first years stand out for you?
The Franco-German Discussion board for the Future was established in response to far-reaching and profound transformations occurring in each international locations. These transformations, which happen away from the highlight and so typically go unnoticed, play an vital function in figuring out the panorama on which future political reforms will unfold. Nevertheless, there’s little public consciousness of them, which hinders engagement and reduces their influence.
In mild of this, it was vital to create new types of dialogue that will allow residents of each international locations to understand their function as brokers of cooperation between the 2 states, their governments, and all their public establishments. And it’s equally vital that we deliver profitable experiences to the eye of these accountable – the Franco-German Ministerial Council and the Franco-German Parliamentary Meeting and its chairs – in order that these successes can encourage their actions.
What has been achieved via the bottom-up strategy taken by the Discussion board?
Our experiences over the primary two work cycles have confirmed the instinct that impressed the founding of the Discussion board for the Future. As soon as the theme for an annual cycle has been outlined, the groups on the Discussion board’s co-secretariat set about figuring out fascinating tasks which might be supported by native actors – normally native authorities – and strategy their management with an invite to participate within the change course of. As soon as a number of tasks have been chosen in every nation, their stakeholders meet to share experiences and establish frequent issues and options, that are subsequently reviewed and applied. This section is of essential significance and determines the success of the complete course of. It was a nice shock to be taught that communities in each international locations grapple with related considerations and that their options are sometimes additionally comparable. Whereas the institutional, authorized and cultural parameters actually differ, the problems and the methods of coping with them are alike.
In every work cycle, the outcomes of this primary section inform the work of the core group. Comprising round 50 members, the core group contains representatives from the organising our bodies, drawn equally from the 2 international locations, who meet in a so-called “resonance area”. This transdisciplinary and binational group convenes in particular person 3 times for an prolonged change that explores the experiences of regional authorities in each international locations with the intention to distil appropriate coverage suggestions.
This course of requires an excessive amount of dedication and spans two two-day seminars on location in addition to a number of video conferences to debate particular points in between these seminars. Right here, too, the standard of the change has been glorious and now we have been in a position to set up a robust rapport between the actors, specialists, and representatives of civil society and public administration, who come collectively within the resonance area. The suggestions which have been developed on the 2 themes up to now – firstly, the function of native authorities and their residents within the ecological transformation, and secondly, initiatives for sustainable city improvement – are each formidable and credible.
In what areas has the Franco-German dialogue made an particularly vital contribution?
The Discussion board for the Future has established itself as an vital facilitator for dialogue on the interface of social transformations and their institutional implementation in France and Germany – and as a dialogue that generates suggestions for motion. On this respect, the Discussion board for the Future differs from the normal types of change between civil society organisations within the two international locations. Nevertheless, it additionally differs from the varied types of institutional dialogue and isn’t topic to the identical constraints.
The matters addressed within the first two work cycles touched on coverage areas by which Germany and France differ considerably, however the place some frequent floor exists. The dialogue initiated by the Discussion board for the Future succeeded in highlighting similarities within the challenges confronted by communities and alternatives for his or her decision, thereby growing their scope and relevance.
The third cycle, which has solely simply begun, will concentrate on the power transition. That is clearly a much more sophisticated matter because it encompasses points on which the governments of France and Germany have very totally different positions, resembling the way forward for nuclear energy, for instance. On the similar time, a lot may be executed on the native degree to enhance power effectivity and sufficiency and to advertise modern low-carbon options, and native authorities in each international locations are doing quite a bit on this space. And whereas this doesn’t negate potential variations between the 2 international locations, it reveals a bigger and extra nuanced image. The Discussion board for the Future has taken on a difficult matter for its third work cycle – and a chance so as to add actual worth.
What three matters stand out for you among the many suggestions elaborated by the Discussion board for the Future?
The work cycle on the function of native and regional authorities within the ecological transformation has highlighted the various methods by which they’ll make a concrete contribution. One significantly clear instance is the function that native authorities play within the space of diet, particularly at school canteens and different types of institutional catering. Meals providers of this type supply alternatives to foster good consuming and consumption habits that favour native producers, acknowledge the environmental impacts of meals manufacturing, and ship higher well being outcomes.
Within the space of sustainable city improvement, it rapidly grew to become clear that the event and use of the city surroundings – from residential areas to manufacturing, workplaces, shops, and public providers – is considerably formed by the way in which we design public areas. The cautious design of public areas can assist communities to maneuver in direction of greener cities, promote softer types of mobility and enhance residents’ high quality of life. Attaining this requires the early integration of transportation planning, city improvement, and greening experience and initiatives within the planning course of.
The primary two work cycles revealed a typical issue: the necessity for municipalities to search out methods to meaningfully contain residents in decision-making processes in order that nobody feels excluded and they are often accomplished inside an inexpensive timeframe. Elected representatives – who finally have the ultimate say inside their respective remits – will need to have the chance to make selections below circumstances which might be broadly acknowledged as democratic and thus reliable.
Waiting for the long run, what alternatives do you see to enhance this vital instrument of Franco-German cooperation?
These concerned within the Franco-German dialogue know the Discussion board for the Future and admire its work. Consultants within the fields of socio-ecological transformation and sustainable city improvement have taken observe of its suggestions. Our subsequent process is to broaden this viewers whereas additionally strengthening and lengthening our present ties in each international locations. We should goal to keep up shut connections with all the native authorities which have engaged with the Discussion board for the Future since its inception – and this may contain a wider circle than the important thing gamers of the primary three work cycles. We should broaden this rising community, maintain it alive, and herald increasingly more stakeholders – these are all attainable future prospects. The Discussion board for the Future has developed a strong basis for its work. Now it must be dropped at life and its strategy and outcomes publicized in each international locations.
This interview was first revealed on the web site of the Franco-German Forum for the Future.
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