Le Figaro Nantes
The much-desired marriage still faces some resistance.
The department of Loire-Atlantique renewed, Tuesday January 30, its request for a referendum on the attachment of the territory to Brittany, on the occasion of the publication of a study devoted to the concrete institutional and statistical consequences that such a reorganization would entail. territorial.
Loire's enthusiasm is shared by the Brittany region which, through its president, Loïg Chesnais-Girard (DVG), wants the State to fully engage in
"the dynamics of a decision-making referendum that we are calling for wishes"
.
“The State must respect a non-negotiable rule: when citizens vote, this vote must be followed by effects!”,
also launches Michel Ménard (PS), in a press release.
President of the Loire-Atlantique departmental council, the elected official calls for an “enlightened, transparent and calm”
debate
on this issue which in 2018 mobilized more than 105,000 signatures during a petition organized by the Bretagne Réunée association.
Pays de la Loire kicks into touch
Entrusted to the PwC firm, the impact study (available here) commissioned and co-financed by the Loire-Atlantique department and the Brittany region presents itself, in its summary report, as
"a technical contribution"
not intended to take a position for or against the attachment.
Given the embryonic state of the project, the investigation is content to bring to light
"trends and questions"
- on the balance of the different urban centers, mobility networks or even on public aid programs - which will have to be taken into consideration by the political and economic actors responsible for the matter.
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In accordance with its specifications, the study only considers issues relating to Loire-Atlantique and Brittany, thus failing to take into account the consequences that this territorial loss will undoubtedly cause for the Pays de la Loire region. , to which Loire-Atlantique belongs today.
Asked by
Le Figaro
, the region chaired by Christelle Morançais (DVD) indicates that it does not wish to react to the publication of this report,
“considering that the national context is sufficiently tense not to add division to division.”
The amputation of the region's first department would deprive the Pays de la Loire of more than a third of its population and its maritime coastline.
The operation would also involve the designation of a new capital to replace Nantes, where the regional hotel is located.
A latent demand since the creation of French administrative regions in 1956, the attachment of Loire-Atlantique to Brittany has resurfaced in the news thanks to the territorial reform of 2015. Wishes in favor of a referendum on the question have been adopted by the departmental council, in 2018 and 2022, as well as by the Brittany region, in 2021. A procedure that elected officials base on article 72-1 of the Constitution, which allows local authorities to consult their voters to modify the limits.