Sibylle Samoyault has taken office as the new prefect of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France, returning to Tarbes four years after leaving the region to head an all-female prefectural team facing a packed agenda: a visit by the Pope, drought, an agricultural crisis, security and major industrial and construction projects.
In France, prefects represent the national government in each department, overseeing state services, public security and coordination with local authorities. Tarbes, the capital of the Hautes-Pyrénées, sits in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains.
Speaking to reporters, Samoyault said she was very happy to return to the Hautes-Pyrénées, which she left four years ago when she served as deputy prefect of Tarbes and secretary general of the prefecture. Described as calm and somewhat reserved, she said she was proud to be surrounded by an entirely female prefectural team.
Pope's visit and Pic du Midi listing
Among the first items awaiting her is a visit by the Pope to the department on September 27. Samoyault said she would also closely follow the bid to have the Pic du Midi listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a process she said was now in its final stages. The Pic du Midi is a Pyrenean peak home to a historic astronomical observatory.
Security and talks with local mayors
Samoyault named security as one of her priority areas, saying the state needed to guarantee protection and peace of mind for every citizen. She said she had already discussed the issue with Tarbes mayor Pascal Claverie, particularly regarding the Arsenal neighbourhood.
She said she also attached great importance to partnership with elected officials, built on exchange and dialogue over major projects for the territory.
On Monday morning, shortly after taking up her post, she met the Tarbes mayor to discuss development of the local aerospace and defence industrial hub, the continuation of the New National Urban Renewal Programme in the Bel-Air neighbourhood, and a project for a new police station. She said she would hold similar talks with Lourdes mayor Thierry Lavit in the coming days.
Drought and the agricultural crisis
Samoyault said the question of ecological and agricultural transitions, and the changes facing the territory, was also close to her heart. After a summer marked by drought across France, including in the mountains and the Pyrenees, she was due to make her first field visit on Tuesday, to a farm, alongside agricultural unions, to assess the consequences of the heatwave and take any measures needed.
Following that visit, she said she would take part in a meeting with the Agriculture Minister to report on the local situation. Asked about this summer's water shortages, she said the issue had to be considered as a whole, depending on the specific area, including the question of experimenting with new crops.
Lanne hospital project 'on track'
Asked about the project for a joint hospital at Lanne, for which a public inquiry is currently under way, Samoyault said on behalf of the state that the project was on track and moving forward. She said the prefecture would communicate on the conclusions of the public inquiry once they were published.
Prefect's neutrality
Samoyault also sought to dispel what she described as misunderstandings promoted by some political leaders about the role of prefects, reaffirming what she called the office's unwavering neutrality. She said she served the state in its neutrality, that she inhabited that neutrality, and that it was essential to respond to all residents and stakeholders of the territory with complete neutrality and respect.
