To mark 1 May, the Mouvement Réformateur is making a stop in Blegny this week. Its mayor, Jérôme Cochart, is the first liberal mayor of the municipality in forty-seven years. With remarkable local roots, he holds an absolute majority on the municipal council. A genuine achievement, which has brought a fresh wind of renewal to this municipality with such a rich historical past.
Jérôme, a little over a year ago you were elected mayor of Blegny. You are the first liberal to hold this position after forty-seven years of socialist dominance. As lead candidate alongside Diana Nikolic for the June elections and list leader in the October municipal elections, you have already given new momentum to the municipality. Can you look back on your journey, both at municipal level and within the liberal family?
I have always been passionate about politics, particularly the French presidential elections. So it was only natural that, once at university, I joined the Federation of Liberal Students (both Felu and Fel). I then joined the Jeunes MR in Basse-Meuse before getting involved in the local MR branch of Blegny, where I served as Vice-President and then President. 2012 marked my first election campaign, but it was not until 2017 that I was sworn in as a municipal councillor. After the 2018 elections, I became group leader of MR Blegny, then in opposition. Indeed, I joined Diana's list for the regional election in June 2024. That was my first election campaign at a level other than the municipality, and it was an enriching experience.
For the municipal elections on 13 October 2024, however, we decided to reshuffle the deck and create a new citizens' movement bringing together several different political tendencies. This new dynamic allowed me to take on the mayoral sash and finally have a say in the decisions that improve local life.
Blegny is a municipality with a particularly rich historical heritage, which partly explains why it was chosen to host the Mouvement Réformateur's 1 May celebrations. As a symbol of Wallonia's mining past, this event will be an opportunity to discuss the future, which involves the reindustrialisation of Europe and, why not, the reopening of certain mining operations to mobilise the resources needed for our economic development and restore our strategic autonomy. Could you shed some light on these various upcoming challenges as you see them, as well as your vision for the future of your municipality?
I am particularly proud that the 1 May celebrations took place at Blegny-Mine, as it highlighted an exceptional site, both for my municipality and for our region. I hope that everyone who took part will keep an excellent memory of this heritage, so rich in social and industrial history for our country.
Blegny-Mine also represents engineering and innovation in the energy sector. I believe, more than ever, at a time when we speak of an energy-independent Europe, that our region must work towards this, as it has done in the past. These issues are crucial in an increasingly tense geopolitical context.
As for Blegny's future, it involves putting the municipal finances back in order before we can consider projects of any significant scale. Even though the pressure on local authorities is growing ever stronger, we are trying to turn things around without increasing the burden on residents. That too is a fundamental challenge for our term of office.
Blegny is also a particularly dynamic municipality, beyond the former coal mine: a wine fair, very active football clubs, sustained tourism development… How does the municipality manage to reconcile its status as a pleasant place to live with that of a major tourist destination?
It's true that Blegny is particularly rich in local festivities thanks to the community groups in our villages. This is what helps create social bonds among villagers and preserve that village spirit we cherish so much, even though we are right on the doorstep of Liège.
At the same time, tourism development, particularly around Blegny-Mine, is designed with respect for quality of life. We make sure that infrastructure, mobility and projects benefit both residents and tourists alike. And I believe we can improve our municipality's tourist offering by supporting projects such as unusual accommodation or guest houses, since we have iconic sites within our territory (the coal mine, Fort Barchon, and the medieval Château de Saive).
In short, we are looking to create synergies. Well-managed tourism strengthens the local economy, supports businesses and showcases our heritage, while preserving what makes Blegny such a great place to live day to day.