However since the beginning of the year the contradictory signals did not fail

"There is an urgency to act," said Yann Hélary, Chairman of the interregional Park Marais poitevin and Vice-President (green) of the region Pays de la Loire. In the Park non-labellisation, the European Commission could reactivate litigation proceedings against the France for breach of its obligations for the protection of the poitevin Marsh, with the key of heavy fines, of the order of 150,000 euros per day. "Is this a relationship of cause and effect Is file, bogged down after the refusal by Jean Louis Borloo in 2008 to continue the classification procedure for this territory in regional natural park, appears in the process of unlocking.

However, since the beginning of the year, the contradictory signals did not fail. In March, the two regions Poitou-Charentes and Pays de la Loire, taking note of the refusal of the Department, decided to create their own label of interregional natural park. Then, in June, the national Council of the nature protection refused to turn the labelling of the site. Last episode to date, July 1, when regional parks Federation Office to France instead gave its green light to the project. In the meantime, the Minister raised the possibility of the problem by legislation, as has been done to the Camargue.

Adoption of a Charter

The poitevin Marsh, wide space of 100,000 hectares shared between both regions and three departments (Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vendée), had been dispossessed of its regional natural park label in 1996, because of the abusive practices of drying of wetlands to make room for cereal crops. A "reconquest plan" of the label, initiated in 2002 under the Raffarin Government and continued by the new majorities from left of the two regions, had led in 2006 to the adoption of a Charter by a majority of the local authorities concerned. It is the "legal fragility" of this Charter which justifies the opposition of the Department to the classification of the Park. "The Charter proposed by the Joint Union (which manages the Park) suffers from a lack of membership, says one close to the record in the Ministry, which causes a sprawl of the territory, which eventually look like a Swiss cheese."

Indeed, the Charter was postponed by 25 municipalities on 75, as well as by the Department of Vendée, where are concentrated the objections in the standings. "There is no legal frailty of the Charter, it is a pure invention," replies Yann Hélary.

Out the blocking and attempt to exceed the political ulterior lead record, Jean-Louis Borloo will launch in the fall of an interdepartmental consultation which should achieve by the end of the year. "We must reopen the debate, understanding the reasons for the non-accession of Commons Park project, and to change positions," commented on the Department. At the end of the consultation, the Minister will have the choice between an order of ranking, where the territory of the Park will be limited to the municipalities which have approved the Charter, and the enactment of a law, which authoritatively set the regional scope of the future natural park.