MEETING After a first five-year term marked by tensions, the Elysée wants to calm down local elected officials
The president of the AMF, David Lisnard, during the 104th congress of the association, in Paris on November 22 2022. — AFP
- The Association of Mayors of France (AMF) is holding its 104th congress from November 21 to 24.
- This year the president will let Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne deliver the closing speech. Emmanuel Macron will instead carry out a long “wandering” of several hours at the mayors’ fair, organized parallel to the Parc des Expositions at Porte de Versailles with 1,200 exhibitors.
- It’s time for calm between the Head of State and local elected officials. The president of the AMF, David Lisnard, mayor LR, believes that Emmanuel Macron has “completely changed” his speech by opening the door to “a new chapter of decentralization”.
- Concerns, especially financial, nevertheless remain. Faced with rising energy costs and the abolition of taxes they were collecting, municipalities are now tempted by an increase in property tax.
Emmanuel Macron will take the pulse of local elected officials. The Head of State will meet this Wednesday with the mayors gathered in Paris. Paris to display a more “peaceful” than in the past.
This year, the Elysée says it wants to innovate: no closing speech at the 104th congress of the Association of French Mayors (AMF) for the president – it will be delivered Thursday by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, but a long “wandering” from several hours to their living room, organized parallel to the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center with 1,200 exhibitors.
“””Have a much more direct and strong contact””
The objective, pleads the presidency, is to go to the meeting of those who “”offer innovative solutions” and “to have a much more direct and strong contact.” Emmanuel Macron will speak in front of a thousand mayors, but in the evening during a reception at the Elysée. The choice of the staging, however, makes some teeth cringe, especially in the opposition. “He confuses the mayors’ fair with the agricultural fair,” Laignel, vice-president of the AMF.
Between the powerful association of elected officials and the president, the time is nevertheless at hand. the appeasement after a marked first five-year term; by tension. AMF President David Lisnard, LR Mayor of Cannes, believes that Emmanuel Macron has “completely changed” of speech by opening the door to “a new chapter in decentralization” In Mayenne, the President of the Republic was indeed said to be in favor in October of a “true decentralization”, accompanied by the transfer of “responsibilities”, “normative power” and “funding” needed.
The Elysée defends the “return of the State in the territories”
At the Elysée, on the contrary, we want to see in the improvement with the communities “the fruit” policies initiated five years ago in favor of financial support and a “return of the state to the territories”, rather than any turning point. The executive highlights the opening of 2,600 France Services houses by the end of December (one hundred more than initially promised) or the creation of 35 additional sub-prefectures, including six this year.
The government has also multiplied gestures in recent weeks, with the announcement of an additional 1.2 billion euros to local authorities in the form of a loan to accelerate the ecological transition and that of five billion by 2026 to “reinvigorate” the center of 234 medium-sized towns. Above all, Elisabeth Borne announced; a stronger-than-expected increase in the global operating grant (DGF) for local authorities in 2023, in 2023; 320 million euros. From “l’blush”,” David Lisnard, who sees it as only a modest catch-up, the DGF not being “not indexed to inflation since”2010”.
s of mayors
The elected officials are also concerned about the abolition of taxes that they collected, such as the housing tax on main residences and now the CVAE, a production tax. Municipalities are now tempted by an increase in property tax, one of the only tax levers they still have. Because the city councilors are also confronted with the explosion of energy expenditure. The government has put in place an “electricity damper” and a “safety net” greeted by the mayors, who are however awaiting details on their operation.