Marcangeli calls for a realistic plan to protect public buildings from heat

Paris – 03.07.2026: Laurent Marcangeli, president of the Horizon group in the National Assembly, warned against excessive expectations regarding immediate, comprehensive technical action against heat in public buildings. In an interview with Franceinfo, he said that expanding heat protection measures “is not a quick intervention,” but requires clear priorities, reliable funding and uniform standards for planning, installation and operation.

The reason for his assessment is the data cited by Health Minister Stéphanie Rist: in the week from 22 to 28 June, according to Santé publique France, 2,025 more deaths than expected were recorded. Marcangeli acknowledged the urgency, but stressed that measures without a sustainable timeline and financing plan risk remaining ineffective. Municipalities should not be left alone with the investments; binding grant programmes and long-term support for operating costs are needed.

The MP identified two bottlenecks: first, the logistical capacity to adapt schools, care facilities, hospitals and administrative buildings within a short period of time; second, the availability of qualified companies. Without bundled public tenders, standardized technical specifications and prioritization, delays and cost increases are foreseeable. He identified emergency departments, nursing homes and educational facilities as particularly vulnerable.

The discussion lies between immediate crisis protection and structural adaptation. Experts note that heat protection cannot be ensured by air-conditioning systems alone. In addition to active cooling, passive measures are needed, such as shading, insulation, light-coloured roof and façade surfaces, natural night-time cooling and an adequate supply of drinking water in public facilities. Maintenance and energy requirements must also be considered to avoid misguided investments.

From an administrative perspective, the issue concerns responsibilities and timing: the Health Ministry promotes short-term protective measures for particularly vulnerable facilities, while local authorities organize building maintenance and procurement. Marcangeli proposes a phased roadmap with interim targets, transparent cost frameworks and effectiveness checks. Only in this way can skilled trade capacities be expanded in a predictable manner and supply chains for technologies and materials stabilized. At the same time, an information campaign is needed so that local decision-makers can distinguish between rapid emergency solutions—such as mobile cooling zones—and lasting solutions.

In view of the ongoing heatwave, pressure is therefore increasing on the government and Parliament to define clear priorities and funding paths before the summer recess. Marcangeli warns against symbolic announcements without an implementation plan and calls for vulnerable locations to be secured first, in order to reduce health risks in the short term and make public infrastructure more resilient step by step.