The Association for Consultation and Proposals for Development and Transport (ACPAT) is a French environmentalist group operating in the Chablais region. The group opposes the construction of new roads and other development projects. The group also opposes the Future Circular Collider project proposed by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) that would be used for advanced physics research. ¹

The group is affiliated with the left-of-center environmentalist group Friends of the Earth France. ²

Background

The Association for Consultation and Proposals for Development and Transport (ACPAT) was founded in 1987 to oppose development in the Chablais region of France. The group promotes public transport by opposing the construction of new roadways. The group says, “natural and agricultural land is disappearing, biodiversity is suffering, the climate is deteriorating, (and) the territory is being fragmented.” ³

Opposition Campaigns

Trans-Chablais Highway

The Association for Consultation and Proposals for Development and Transport (ACPAT) opposed the Trans-Chablais highway project which went from Annemasse to the eastern border crossing the entire Chablais region parallel to Lake Geneva on the Swiss border. The group mobilized opposition to the project including farmers and environmentalists. The group won an initial victory when the French government declared that the road would stop at Thonon, which caused the Swiss government to pull out of the project and made the road a relatively short route entirely within French territory. ⁴

In mid-1994, the French government conducted a public utility investigation of the highway, and it came back opposing the road. Despite the survey, the French government authorized road construction in May 1995. The French government canceled the project in 1997. ⁵

Geneva EcoParc

In December 2019, the Association for Consultation and Proposals for Development and Transport (ACPAT) opposed the creation of the Geneva EcoParc. The group claimed the development would destroy agricultural land and threaten the food autonomy of the region. The project would create up to 1,200 new jobs and focus on well-being and food crafts. ⁶

Machilly and Thonon-les-Bains Highway

In June 2023, the French Parliament voted to begin highway construction in the Chablais region. The first leg of the roadway stretched from Machilly and Thonon-les-Bains. The Association for Consultation and Proposals for Development and Transport (ACPAT) announced its opposition to the project and sued in French courts to try and stop it. In July 2023, the French courts gave their approval to the highway project. Supporters of the road claim construction would open up traffic and end traffic jams along Lake Geneva from Geneva, Switzerland to Thonon-les-Bains, France. ACPAT instead urged for more alternative means of transportation such as expanding train service. The group vowed to continue appeals against the project. ⁷

Future Circular Collider

The Association for Consultation and Proposals for Development and Transport (ACPAT) declared its opposition to the Future Circular Collider project being built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The collider would be used for advanced physics research and would be built underground on the Swiss-French border. The group criticized the project for its carbon dioxide emissions and its massive electricity use. ⁸

Affiliations With Other Groups

The Association for Consultation and Proposals for Development and Transport (ACPAT) is affiliated with the left-of-center environmentalist group Friends of the Earth France. ⁹

The group is a member of the French environmentalist groups Air Network and Lac Chablais. ¹⁰

1. “L’ACPAT, Association de Concertation et de Proposition Pour l’aménagement et Les Transports, Depuis 1987.” Association de Concertation Propositions sur les Transports. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://acpat.e-monsite.com/.
2. “Équipes et Fonctionnement.” Les Amis de la Terre. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://www.amisdelaterre.org/nous-connaitre/equipes-et-fonctionnement/.
3. “Transports Chablais Biodiversité Autoroute.” Transports Chablais Biodiversité Autoroute. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://acpat.e-monsite.com/pages/presentation.html.
4.  “Transports Chablais Biodiversité Autoroute.” Transports Chablais Biodiversité Autoroute. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://acpat.e-monsite.com/pages/presentation.html.
5. “Transports Chablais Biodiversité Autoroute.” Transports Chablais Biodiversité Autoroute. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://acpat.e-monsite.com/pages/presentation.html.
6. Renard, Florence. “Nouveau Recours En Vue Des Opposants à l’ecoparc de Genevois.” Les Echos, May 7, 2020. https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/auvergne-rhone-alpes/nouveau-recours-en-vue-des-opposants-a-lecoparc-de-genevois-1201320
7. Worreth, Serge, and Ceclile Mathy. “Autoroute Du Chablais : Le Conseil Constitutionnel Valide La Loi Permettant La Construction, ‘Une Décision Politique’ Pour Ses Opposants.” France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, July 23, 2023. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/haute-savoie/autoroute-du-chablais-le-conseil-constitutionnel-valide-la-loi-permettant-la-construction-une-decision-politique-pour-ses-opposants-2816423.html.
8.  “L’ACPAT, Association de Concertation et de Proposition Pour l’aménagement et Les Transports, Depuis 1987.” Association de Concertation Propositions sur les Transports. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://acpat.e-monsite.com/.
9. “Équipes et Fonctionnement.” Les Amis de la Terre. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://www.amisdelaterre.org/nous-connaitre/equipes-et-fonctionnement/.
10. “Les Amis.” Association de Concertation Propositions sur les Transports. Accessed June 3, 2024. https://acpat.e-monsite.com/pages/les-amis.html.