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Three months after the fire that destroyed the roof and spire of Notre Dame Cathedral, French deputies were summoned Tuesday to approve controversial proposals on the reconstruction of the famous church.
The legislators of the lower house of the French Parliament, the National Assembly, were to decide in the late afternoon or early evening on a set of highly controversial proposals for the restoration of the famous cathedral.
According to the Minister of Culture, Franck Riester, the aim of these proposals was "to offer Notre-Dame a restoration at the height of the place it occupies in the hearts of the French and the French. whole world".
Although it mainly involves the creation of special committees and administrative bodies, the bill essentially provides the legal basis for what has already been proposed by President Emmanuel Macron and the French government.
Legislators were united in support of this goal, but they were more divided as to what the bill meant for the timeline, design and funding of restoration work.
Five-year goal criticized
The proposals are consistent with Macron's goal of reopening the building within five years, in time for the 2024 Olympics to be held in Paris.
Many architects, engineers and heritage experts have warned that this is not enough to do the job properly.
Three months after the fire, tourists and other admirers must observe the building from the outside on a wide perimeter of metal barriers.
Only construction crews, wearing protective clothing to protect themselves from lead poisoning, can approach and enter the building.
The chief architect of the site said that it could still take nine months before the experts even know how much the remaining parts of the building are stable, not to mention rebuilding.
Riester insisted that the deadline was "ambitious and voluntaristic" and stated that "would bring together all concerned parties.
"We do not confuse speed and haste," he said, acknowledging that the cathedral was not yet "completely saved" and that there remained "a risk" of further collapse.
Opposition lawmakers, however, opposed proposals to give the government the ability to approve prescription reconstruction measures and circumvent environmental and heritage regulations, not to mention public debate, to respect the five-year deadline.
Pool on the roof?
MEPs will also essentially give the green light to the legislation for the project to be decided at the international architecture competition announced by the French government in the days following the fire.
The traditionalists asked that the bell tower be rebuilt as it was before the fire and the Senate, where the right-wing opposition party, Republicans, is in the majority, wished that the draft law committed to following the project of the 19th century Eugène Viollet-le-Duc architect.
Their efforts were in vain, paving the way for proposals responding to Macron's call for a "contemporary architectural gesture".
Until now, the proposals ranged from a glbad roof and an arrow, to a rooftop garden and even to a swimming pool at the top of the building. Gothic 850 years old.
Framework for donations
The bill will also establish a body to oversee the collection of donations and the distribution of funds.
The legislation will allow for extended tax relief for individual donations for this particular project: 75% out of the usual 66% for donations up to € 1,000 per donor.
Left-wing MPs opposed tax relief, saying it would mean that taxpayers will ultimately pay the bill.
These donations represent a small part of the 850 million euros pledged to date, the majority of the money offered by the richest families in France.
Riester said that only 10% of the total donations announced had been paid, against 5% cited by the Archbishop of Paris earlier this month.
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