François de Canson succeeds Renaud Muselier

A dual background that already permeates his inaugural speech, resolutely focused on concrete action and strategic vision.

First priority: high schools

Barely elected, the new president insisted on dedicating his first words to the situation in high schools, which he described as an immediate priority. Aware of the tensions affecting young people, he announced a series of major measures designed to provide quick answers.

Starting this week, an alert platform will be put in place to allow students, parents, and staff to report emergencies. At the same time, a general inspection of establishments will be launched and departmental intervention brigades will be created to deal with urgent physical issues. These decisions aim to calm a tense school climate and to reaffirm the Région's responsibility for welcoming and working conditions.

Sovereignty and adaptation: the two pillars of the mandate

Beyond the emergency, François de Canson outlined the two main orientations that will structure his action: sovereignty and adaptation to climate change. He summarized his ambition in a key sentence during his speech.

“Two major orientations will guide my mandate: sovereignty and adaptation to climate change. I want a Région that keeps a taste for major projects, but never loses its sense of reality,” declared François de Canson.

Sovereignty, for him, is first and foremost industrial and economic. He intends to strengthen the region's strategic sectors, from aeronautics to health, including microelectronics, building on the example of the reindustrialization of the Naval Group site in La Londe-les-Maures. This ambition also involves increased support for SMEs, training, and mastery of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The second pillar, climate adaptation, is no longer treated as a peripheral environmental issue but as an imperative of security and economic viability. Building on his experience in major risk prevention, he insisted on the need to prepare the territory for fires, water shortages, and heatwaves. His “Garder une COP d’avance” plan will thus be intensified with targeted investments to protect residents and economic activities.

A man of action and experience

The path of François de Canson, the first Varois to preside over the Région, bears witness to deep territorial roots. From his childhood in Marseille to his memories in the Alpes or Vaucluse, he recalled his attachment to all the territories that make up Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

It is above all his experience as mayor, directly confronted with crises such as the 2014 floods, that forged his method. He thus made a strong commitment: to be in the field, in the departments, two days a week, to stay in touch with local realities and mayors.

“I have been mayor for eighteen years. I know this scene […] A resident comes to see us about a problem that is not within our jurisdiction. […] And then he says to us: ‘Yes, Mr. Mayor, but I came to see you.’”, he shared to illustrate his conception of proximity.

In a welcomed political gesture, François de Canson paid a lengthy tribute to his predecessor, Renaud Muselier, praising his ability to hand over power, a “rare lesson” in politics. While following continuity on major projects underway, he also affirmed his desire “to open other paths” when circumstances require it, thus marking his intention to stamp his own style, based on subsidiarity and a renewed relationship of trust with the municipalities and mayors of the region.