In favour of many of the cities built on the voluntary basis

The Picards and the Auvergnats mounted a little too quickly on their large horses It is to be feared. The name of their region, their elected representatives fear cor and Cree disappear, is nowhere in the report on the territorial reform that Edouard Balladur today at the head of State. Will Nicolas Sarkozy not also be not the slightest trace of 20 other metropolitan areas. Of course, and former Prime Minister not cache, the ideal would be to have more than "fifteen" local communities "within a reasonable time." But that can happen will probably not any time soon because, as for departments, no union should be recognized legal if it was previously the subject of mutual consent. No merge, no change of contours will intervene "without the will of local communities", recalled Tuesday François Fillon. That is almost nowhere except where it can resume identity links, such as Normandy, Savoie or Alsace. And much.

More that any other material, the Prime Minister knows that Act by duress to brush the local institutional landscape can prove to be very fast counter-productive. What Government could be expected to discuss the overly coercive provisions in a Parliament with elected representatives often accumulate a local term The Senate, which has the precedence over the National Assembly to consider all the texts related to local communities, has him only 115 mayors and 120 Councillors, of which 32 are Presidents of General Council. In 2003, the scenario of Act II of decentralization, which was originally given any economic competence to the regions, was substantially rewritten by the "départementalistes".

In this context, the rationalization of the France of the common 36.500 for compelling, cannot operate without a "sufficient consensus". Nicolas Sarkozy had taken great care to say last fall by declaring this large open institutional site. To achieve this, the Balladur Committee members advocate, there again, "on a voluntary basis" to override "common news" to the existing intercommunalités. A schema is not reminiscent of Act Marcellin in 1971 with the failure known him: on the thousand of Commons associated to the first year, a quarter of them have "international" since. Should probably agree a price very heavy to avoid that the history repeats itself. Not sure that the State allows the Government to engage very forward in this direction.

Apparently, Commons have little to lose. The Committee Balladur their preserved their general jurisdiction, the difference of the departments and regions, which the mode of appointment officials feeds all the fears of the opposition. But the municipal autonomy is not guaranteed for life and everywhere. Commons located in the perimeter of the 11 "Metropolis" which the report advocates "the creation by the Act" may fear being that empty shells. "The method is entirely wrong." "Act without the agreement of the Commons is shocking", already strongly Jacques Pélissard, President of the Association of mayors of France (MFA). Like many of his counterparts, Deputy Mayor UMP of Lons-le-Saunier is concerned that these new 11 entities serve Gallop to test to reduce the number of communes in term. In favour of many of the cities built "on the voluntary basis". With the risk that in the end nothing to do and that one of the most visible and most original reform proposals should just die born. Unless, as requested the President of the Republic to Edouard Balladur, that the Government demonstrate boldness in the conduct of the reform and use the strong manner.