Everything had started rather well: the socialist Carole Delga, who took the head of Regions of France this summer, addressed the arrival of the head of government by calling for "pragmatism" during a congress whose theme was "Towards a Republic of trust".
The President of Occitanie recalled that this region was also that of the Prime Minister. "You have an accent. Me too! Seen from above, he could sometimes earn us some mockery. But through him, it is the reality of France that is expressed! It is our standard," he said. -she insured.
In her speech, however, she protested against a fall of 177 million euros in revenues and allocations for the regions provided for in the 2022 draft budget presented a week ago, specifying that she was waiting for "concrete answers" from the head of government.
In his intervention, he took the leap: "In the finance bill for 2022, the government will keep its commitment to neutralize the consequences of the abolition of production taxes, by compensating for the fall in costs next year. management fees received under the financing of vocational training, "he said.
"It is a strong commitment for your finances, to the tune of 107 million euros, which will bring the total compensation to 127 million euros", he added, thus partially responding to the request of Mrs. Delga.
"We will not go further", however warned the head of government, referring to the remaining 50 million endowments whose regions have denounced the abolition.
After her speech, Ms Delga immediately organized an extraordinary meeting of the presidents of the regions.
In a press conference, the president, alongside LR Renaud Muselier, deputy president, lambasted the substance and protested against the form, in particular the spike sent by Mr. Castex about a recent virulent press release from Regions of France.
"No need, ladies and gentlemen of the presidents of regions, to send me press releases or, if possible, after we have seen each other", he squeaked, before calling the elected officials "to work , in the service of our fellow citizens ", an injunction that was not appreciated, according to sources in the regions.
"Very shocked"
"We were very shocked by the tone used in this speech," said Delga, calling it "humiliating" and assuring that she would take decisions in the coming days.
"It is not possible to receive lessons in this tone, given in this way, thinking that we did not know how to work. We have as much legitimacy as the ministers," she exclaimed.
The president of Occitanie has moreover received the support of the president LR of the Senate Gérard Larcher: "the allocations are not variables of budgetary adjustment", he declared during the congress.
In his intervention, Mr. Castex assured that the State had not "let down the local authorities" during the health crisis.
According to him, the impact of the crisis amounted to 92 billion euros in 2020 for the state budget, against four billion in losses for communities.
As for the endowments, they "have remained perfectly stable" under this five-year term, he said, recalling that they had decreased by 10 billion between 2013 and 2017.
By receiving Mr. Castex, Ms. Delga urged "to find ways of a respectful dialogue", recalling that relations between the regions and the government have known many tensions since the arrival at the Elysee Palace of Emmanuel Macron, especially when Edouard Philippe was at Matignon. The communities had thus slammed the door of the national conference of the territories in July 2018 by denouncing the pretense of consultation.
"Since 2017, we have sometimes gone from difficulties to misunderstandings. Trust is a relationship and that cannot exist when there are less than two," she pleaded.