Who is Augustin Augier, close to Bayrou and appointed Secretary General for Ecological Planning?

This is François Bayrou 's choice, and some see it as a helping hand to a friend... to the son of a friend, more specifically, Marielle de Sarnez, who died in 2021. Augustin Augier, 45, has just been appointed secretary general for ecological planning. He is a former Green. He worked alongside Éric Piolle and Marine Tondelier . A specialist who is already very integrated into politics.

A graduate of a leading Parisian business school, he turned his back on a career in finance early on. He truly began his career in humanitarian work: "I wanted to be useful to the community, not to a few shareholders," he said. After joining Doctors Without Borders and the WWF, he co-founded an NGO present in several African countries.

Because of his closeness to the Prime Minister. Augustin Augier is the son of Marielle de Sarnez, a former MoDem figure and longtime right-hand man of François Bayrou. Some denounce a form of nepotism, a backing band of cronies, and a closed circle at the top of the state.

It is even rumored that the Élysée Palace was pushing for another candidate. This comes as Emmanuel Macron recently criticized several government backtracking on the ecological transition.

"The Prime Minister, responsible for ecological and energy planning, welcomes this appointment, which will enable the continuation of the essential ecological planning work for which the SGPE is responsible," Matignon said in a statement quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

For his part, Augustin Augier asserts his legitimacy: "I've been in politics for ten years, half of which were spent fighting for ecology." He comes straight from the Ecologists party, where he was general delegate until a few months ago. He worked on political strategy alongside Marine Tondelier.

However, he was forced to leave his post after being accused of making degrading, sexist, and homophobic remarks. He has always denied these accusations made by other activists. In any case, it was indeed Marine Tondelier's former advisor that Emmanuel Macron chose. A sort of "war prize" in the opposition, an environmentalist who also cut his teeth with the mayor of Grenoble, Éric Piolle.

Secretary General for Ecological Planning. A position that seems technical on paper but could prove strategic. He will be responsible for leading the carbon phase-out in France, reporting directly to the Prime Minister. He will set sector-by-sector targets and coordinate the work of ministries and local authorities. Augustin Augier says he had an ecological awakening under the influence of his two children. He states: "The French are ready, but we need to reassure them."