Access to healthcare, drinking water, security, mobility: the projects of the new Var prefect, Simon Babre

"Did I know you fifteen years ago?" Wearing a white uniform and yellow glasses, Simon Babre is making the rounds of officials this Monday morning, in front of the war memorial in Place Gabriel Péri, Toulon. He has just laid his first wreath in his capacity as prefect of Var, after having been chief of staff to two former state representatives from 2008 to 2010. "He's tall, I must say," commented several of his new interlocutors.

As long as the list of personalities who came to attend his inauguration, to whom he devoted the first two minutes of his speech once he returned to the prefecture. Before a sober tribute to Philippe Mahé, whom he succeeds, and the unfolding of his priorities, this former interior advisor to François Bayrou had "a first thought for the victims of the bad weather of May 20th" .

For Simon Babre, "this painful episode has awakened in [him], in all of us, the memory of the terrible floods in Draguignan and the Argens valley of June 15, 2010, the 15th anniversary of which we will commemorate in a few days." He calls for the "exceptional resilience and solidarity" of the people of Var, while recalling "two requirements" : "never give up on preventing natural risks" and "constantly improve our crisis prevention and management systems."

Operation seduction among new doctors

His "top priority" ? Access to healthcare. For him, this means "investing in emergency services and hospitals across the region ." This also means "more and better distributed nurses and general practitioners," as already provided by the 56 health centers. Not enough. The man who describes himself as "a contact prefect" wants to organize "reinforcements of doctors to the areas most in need," particularly through final-year medical students and the installation of young professionals.

Another challenge: that of the drinking water supply, while the resource is becoming "more uncertain than yesterday" . This comes down to "more economical consumption patterns" and "interconnection projects" for better pooling. Security is also one of Simon Babre's pillars, who intends to rely on "the solid achievements of the Var" : "efficient municipal police forces" and the development of video protection. He continues on the increase in criminal organizations, for whom the Var hinterland appears "as a tactical fallback zone" , and the expectations concerning the drug trafficking law to combat them "relentlessly" .

Among the targeted areas, Simon Babre wants to focus his energy on the "major project" of mobility, notably through the New Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Line, but without opposing the uses of each. For the new prefect, the defense industry is also part of his action plan . As is rurality, notably in terms of "access to housing, employment and essential services" . And to add a word for farms "some of which are directly threatened by customs duties imposed by the United States" . So many problems that await "original answers" .