Just before the Olympic Games, Castex reappointed as interim head of RATP – Libération

Current CEO of the Paris transport authority, Jean Castex was due to end his term on July 22. The government, forced by the dissolution, finally announced on Wednesday July 3 that the former Prime Minister was being extended in his position. An interim with no end date, in anticipation of the Olympic Games, and a possible second term.

An extension before an uncertain match for the next round. Reconverted at the end of 2022 as Chairman and CEO of the RATP, former Prime Minister Jean Castex will keep his post for the summer and the Olympic Games, at least. While his term was normally due to end on July 22, an order signed by the Ministers of the Economy Bruno Le Maire and of the Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu made official this Wednesday, July 3, his renewal as of July 23, without mentioning an end date for this interim.

Notably at the helm of the autonomous Parisian transport authority during the signing of an agreement with the unions to increase the working hours of bus drivers, Jean Castex had been proposed on June 3 by Emmanuel Macron for a second term. But his nomination must be approved by the competent committees of the National Assembly and the Senate, as for his first term. However, the dissolution of the National Assembly, which should result in the presidential camp being placed in a minority at the end of the second round of legislative elections on July 7, has suspended this procedure and makes the nomination uncertain.

SNCF CEO also extended for the Olympics

At the inauguration of the extension of line 11 on June 13, Jean Castex acknowledged that it was “very unlikely” that the new assembly would have time to hear him before July 22. The main union among metro drivers, Force Ouvrière-RATP, called in mid-June for the renewal of the CEO, in the hope of ensuring stability at the head of the public transport group. “After several years of famine in both social dialogue and recognition of our professions, we have succeeded with the current CEO in restoring responsible social dialogue for the good of employees and the company,” wrote FO.

On the SNCF side, the government announced at the beginning of May that CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou – at the head of the group since 2019 – would continue his mission during the summer “in order to guarantee the proper organization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games”. Concerning him, however, it had assured that he would not be reappointed for a second term. After the Olympic Games, the name of his successor will therefore be proposed by the President of the Republic, who will then contact the President of the new National Assembly and the President of the Senate Gérard Larcher to endorse it.

Finally, on the side of the public group ADP (ex-Aéroports de Paris), Matignon announced in March that its president Augustin de Romanet, will also be kept in his functions until the Olympic Games “in order to guarantee [leur] good organization”, but will not be renewed beyond that.