Return of the Ministry of the Sea to the Castex government
The composition of Jean Castex's government was announced on 06 July 2020. Less striking for the general public than the arrival of media personalities at the Justice or Interior Ministries, the return of a Ministry of the Sea is a key element for the maritime community. Annick Girardin, appointed at its head, has been the first fully-fledged Minister for the Sea since 1991. Inaugurated for the first time in 1981 by Louis Le Pensec, the post only lasted until 1983, then from 1988 to 1991. The term "Mer", which had returned in the title of Secretary of State and Delegate Ministry under François Hollande, had disappeared since the beginning of Emmanuel Macron's five-year term of office. The precise scope of the Minister's competences will only be known after publication of the official decree.
Annick Girardin, an ultra-marine Minister of the Sea
The new Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, comes from the ranks of the Radical Left Party. She has been a Member of Parliament for Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon since 2007 and was responsible for the Francophonie, then for the Civil Service under François Hollande. She had been Minister for Overseas France since the first government of Edouard Philippe.
Positive reception in the yachting world
The return of a Ministry of the Sea, which has been called for for years, has been very favourably received by the maritime community in general. "Very attentive and pragmatic, Annick Girardin is a politician who has her heart set on making progress on issues and knows how important our country's nautical capital is. She knows the economic players in our sector well, having exchanged views with them, notably during the last Paris Boat Show, which she came to inaugurate," says Fabien Métayer, General Delegate of the Fédération des Industries Nautiques - the French Nautical Industries Federation - with pleasure To read on the page Yacht-Club .
But the actors remain attentive to the transformation of the symbol into action. "Having worked with Louis Le Pensec, I'm keeping a close eye on the decree that will be published to find out the precise scope of the ministry. I hope that it will include all the skills needed to manage the maritime domain," says Michaël Quernez, president of the Brittany Marina Ports Association. Referring to the post-Covid recovery plan, Fabien Métayer adds: "We expect the new government to now give concrete expression to its support".
