Monday, May 30, 2016

What is at stake in the Congress of Mayors of France – Le Monde

The Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo (left),  president of France's Mayors Association and Mayor  of Troyes Francois Baroin (second left), the  French President Francois Hollande (center) and  Vice-President the AMF, mayor of Issoudun Andre  Laignel (second right) during the gathering of  mayors of France, Paris, 18 November 2015.

” suffocated “ by reductions of allocations granted to them by state, mayors of France held their congress from Tuesday, May 31 For three days, more than 10 000 of them will be gathered Porte de Versailles in Paris, between lectures, experience sharing workshops and tradeshow communities.

The annual event is traditionally during the confrontation with the local elected government. This year, the president himself will conclude what will be the last convention of his five years. A strategic confrontation, after a series of reforms to local officials and two years of difficult budgetary efforts allowed

Read also:. Living mayors: the major project of the municipalities of France

is the territorial reform digested?

“I am very surprised last year mood change from the” says Olivier Dussopt, president of the association of small towns in France (from 2 500 to 25 000 inhabitants), days after the holding of its own foundations. The Socialist mayor of Annonay (Ardèche) who was rapporteur of the OuR law on territorial reform in the Assembly, evokes a “debate calmer” now that the regional redistribution and reallocation intercommunal are on track. This is the second measure that has most affected the mayors. The law passed last year set a new minimum threshold of 15 000 for intercommunal structures, forcing some to merge. A reform decided only two years after the completion of the previous overhaul, fanning recriminations elected.

A sense of “appeasement” is not shared by Caroline Cayeux, President cities of France, the association of towns and cities elected less than 400 000 inhabitants. “There are issues of people, projects and skills to unravel” says the mayor Republicans (LR) of Beauvais, to six months of the birth of the new intermunicipal. “We will need a second year smoothing” , she added, calling the “flexible schedule” a given reform, she said, “forced march” .

the smaller towns, they ill live the advent of intermunicipal and incentives for the merger of municipalities. “It removes stages of democracy” laments Michel Fournier, vice president of the association of rural mayors of France (FDMA).



Declines staffing will they last?

A gesture of Francois Hollande is expected Thursday in closing the conference, on budgetary efforts required of communities. Since 2014, the elected representatives of municipalities, regions and departments protest against lower provisions paid to them by the state. In total, their budget was reduced from eleven billion euros between 2015 and 2017

Read also. The actual share of state grants in the resources of municipalities

for the only common, it is planned in 2017 a reduction of 2.071 billion euros in the payments of the state, a decrease of 4.7% of remittances. Consequence:. A drastic fall in local public investment, with an impact on economies and employment

In this context, the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), through its president Francois Baroin, LR mayor of Troyes (Aube), asked the President of the Republic of “halt the decline in state grants.”

Read also: Baroin: “falling state grants is an error”

the entourage of the head of State said the conscious efforts of communities, without specifying he could announce. Olivier Dussopt hope it, “effort or gesture therefore” . Even if it does not completely cancel the effort still to agree? “This is already a step” , Caroline Cayeux relativized. “This will allow us to arrive mid-term [mayors were elected in 2014] with less anxiety” , she added.



a political opportunity

at the podium, François Hollande will lead a whole other battle Thursday in the closing of the Congress. “Mayors of France are a very strong lobby,” recalls Romain Pasquier, professor at the Institut d’études politiques de Rennes and specialist local authorities. “They are an important relay on the ground for a possible future candidate for president,” , he notes again.

Michel Fournier FDMA n is not fooled: he expects that the “lollipop election” soitêtre brandished for “calm things down” , but doubting the real impact of celle- in this opinion and in its accounts. It is concerned about the “telescoping” News and regrets that, facing a battered government on the social front in the file of the labor law, some mayors have decided this year not to further “up to the plate to not put fire on oil” and prevent the “confusion” of the claims.

Read also: What do the state grants in the budget of a common?

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