Asked if he had an interest in the position

Henri Proglio is ready to succeed the current CEO of EDF, Pierre Gadonneix, whose mandate expires on November 22. The Elysee probed him on the subject recently. But the pattern of Veolia Environnement, who had refused the same position in 2004, raised its conditions. It wishes to retain a role in the environmental services giant and orchestrate a rapprochement between the two companies, reported yesterday several concordant sources, confirming the Reuters site information. Fr.

Nicolas Sarkozy did not reply. But "all appears well complicated," said one of his relatives. What maintain the chances of other possible contenders, as Jean-François Cirelli, current number two of GDF Suez, and Pierre Gadonneix, who would like to play extensions the Alstom's CEO, Patrick Kron, seems to have definitively abandoned in the post. A decisive Board of Directors on this subject to be held on 23 September.

"Henri Proglio is ready to finish his career with a challenge of this kind, but any how, and without abandoning what he has done, indicates a man who knows well the CEO of the former General of the water.". It has a visceral attachment with this company he has re-established. ""Asked if he had an interest in the position." "It is not indifferent to the thing, but it is an industrial project," adds another source. Specifically, he wants to lock a rapprochement between the two companies which could proceed through cross-shareholdings or by the creation of a common holding company.

This project is a sea since the creation, in 2000, Dalkia, fruit of the approximation of the activities of EDF and Veolia in energy services. But today, with frontal competition of GDF Suez, Henri Proglio believes that the project is mature and he would like a firm commitment of the State. "He wants to record to start this project with a double-hatted Veolia and EDF", indicates a good connoisseur of the folder. After all, Gérard Mestrallet is both President and CEO of GDF Suez and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Suez Environment.

Henri Proglio has a decisive advantage over other contenders for the position: he is a Director of EDF since 2004 and Chair of the Committee of the strategy in the Council. As such, it is part of the most critical administrators from the Pierre Gadonneix strategy.

A project complicated

"It starts to know EDF and see what there is to do", indicates a close. Nevertheless, his project of reconciliation between the two companies, which could one day lead to a merger seems complicated to secure before the end of the mandate of Pierre Gadonneix. Especially at the time where EDF must already digested the acquisition of British Energy and complete a program of debt reduction of EUR 5 billion.

"Proglio is very focused on growth, which has led to very heavy investment, mergers and acquisitions in Veolia, concerned Per Lekander, analyst at UBS." This is exactly what EDF did not need. The company must reduce its debt and focus on performance. "Henri Proglio has thus to announce the marriage between its subsidiary Veolia Transport and Transdev. In 2006, he attempted without success to a merger with giant BTP Vinci.