Once again, Jack Lang is playing overtime at the head of the Arab World Institute (IMA). A board of directors of the institution, which the former minister of culture of François Mitterrand has chaired since 2013, must take place on Wednesday, December 20, in order to renew him in his functions, nine months after the end of his mandate, early March. But according to our information, it would not be, at this stage, a renewal in due form, to the extent that Emmanuel Macron has not yet decided the question.
A decision had to be taken before the end of the year to avoid a legal vacuum, and a vacation situation likely to weaken the IMA. In recent days, speculation has intensified after The letter announced, Friday, December 15, the renewal of the man who recently launched about the rumors surrounding his departure: “When I am somewhere, I am there for eternity. »
However, neither Emmanuel Macron, sole master of the decision, nor the Quai d’Orsay, which must formally propose to reappoint the person concerned as administrator before any definitive renewal, would have decided in this direction. The Elysée, like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is careful not to make the slightest comment.
Since March, the irremovable boss of the IMA, 84 years old, has done everything to keep his place, due to lack of arbitration for or against him at the top of the State. “Emmanuel Macron hesitates. He likes Lang, but he would like renewal”, observes one of those who closely follow the issue. According to him, the head of state has not yet made his decision, neither on a reappointment of Jack Lang, nor on the choice of a personality likely to replace him.
No age threshold imposed on the IMA
This indecision is reminiscent of that surrounding the fate of Catherine Pgard, the president of the Palace of Versailles, still in office even though her mandate ended in 2022 and she has exceeded the age limit set for directors of public establishments. . However, no such threshold exists for the IMA, a private law foundation. “Lang seeks to force things in order to continue his mission. The board of directors this Wednesday must above all ratify a new interim period, for a few months”estimates a source.
Former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, 76, once hoped to take the job. Alas, he abandoned all hope in the face of resistance from the outgoing president, before being entrusted with other missions. The former minister took the helm of the French agency responsible for developing the Al-Ula region, in Saudi Arabia, rich in archaeological remains. Emmanuel Macron also made him his special envoy for Lebanon, which allows him, since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, to carry out discreet missions in the region, particularly in Qatar.
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