Emmanuel Macron chose this Wednesday, October 19 his former Prime Minister Jean Castex to become the president and CEO of the RATP, a decision which must still be ratified by the competent parliamentary committees. “The President of the Republic plans, on the proposal of the Prime Minister and after compatibility opinion of the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life, to appoint Mr. Jean Castex as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Autonomous Transport Authority Parisians”, announced the Elysée in a press release.
The High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life (HATVP) had issued a favorable opinion on this proposed appointment on Tuesday, five months after the departure of Jean Castex from Matignon. The HATVP has however issued certain reservations, in respect of the past functions of Jean Castex, within the framework of “the opening to competition of public transport in Ile-de-France”. The former head of government must thus “abstain from any approach, including the representation of interests”, with those of his former ministers still in office, or with the “services which were placed under his direct authority”, for three years, according to the opinion of the HATVP. In order to formalize his appointment, Jean Castex will still have to be heard and approved by the committees concerned with the transport sector in the Assembly and the Senate.
The Paris transport authority has lost its CEO Catherine Guillouard, who resigned after five years in office, and its number two, Philippe Martin, who retired on September 30. Aged 57, Jean Castex was head of government from July 3, 2020 to May 16, 2022. A graduate of the ENA and originally from Gers, he was also mayor of Prades (Pyrénées-Orientales) and has occupied since the end of July, on a voluntary basis, the presidency of the Foundation Act against exclusion (FACE).
Jean Castex, who often proclaimed his attachment to the world of transport during his time at Matignon, had recently been appointed chairman of the board of directors of the Agency for financing transport infrastructure in France (Afit France). The RATP, which manages 330 lines in Ile-de-France and transports more than three million passengers a day via its bus network, is currently having all the trouble in the world to maintain a full service, against a backdrop of absenteeism, difficulties recruitment or opening up to competition
