"A protester holds a placard resembling the Code of the Envir..."

#11872281

16 December 2024

A protester holds a placard resembling the Code of the Environment. Between 100 and 1500 people gather in Toulouse, France, on December 15, 2024, against a non-administrative court ruling of the Administrative Court regarding the environmental authorization to build the A69 highway between Toulouse and Castres. The judge decides to reopen the files instead of issuing a court decision. Plaintiffs, including LVEL, Attac, Amis de la Terre, and D'Ingrando, go on 'administrative' trial against the French State, along with the builder NGE and its concessionary Atosca. Alice Terrasse, the main lawyer for 'La Voie Est Libre' (opponents), pleads that the main reason for building this highway, a 'Major Imperative for public interest,' is invalid. The main association 'La Voie est Libre' (i.e., 'The Way is Free'), opponents want the construction of the highway to be stopped until all judicial decisions on the content are given. Opponents of this project say that the reprofiling of the N126 will be sufficient for the 6,000 vehicles planned per day and would cost far less money. The A69 highway will cost EUR512 million (in 2018 euros without inflation) for 54 kilometers. More than 100 protected species and 400 hectares of agricultural fields will be destroyed.

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