Le Figaro Bordeaux
“On board!”
It is with humor that Bruno Marty, the colorful mayor of La Réole, approaches the original action that he will carry out alongside the elected officials of the 41 localities which make up the community of communes of Réolais in South Gironde.
This Wednesday, February 7, several motorboats loaded with around twenty Girondin elected officials will travel to the sub-prefecture of Langon, in order to submit a motion requesting that their territory be classified as a rural revitalization zone ( ZRR).
This system, established by a law of 1995, allows sparsely populated rural municipalities, facing a decline in their population, to benefit from advantageous tax provisions (tax exemptions and exemptions from employer contributions), in order to encourage their economic development.
The elected officials of Réolais believe they are wronged because the surrounding communities of communes are all classified as rural revitalization zones.
The overhaul of the ZRR, announced as part of the France ruralités plan in 2023, worries elected officials in Réolais who fear that they will still not be affected.
"We will never let go !"
This symbolic and offbeat action is, however, presented as a major challenge, because the requested classification would not only be beneficial for the local economy but also for the life of the territory.
“Not being like our neighbors is a huge handicap, particularly in attracting health professionals of whom our population is sorely lacking
,” judges Stéphane Denoyelle, the mayor of Saint-Pierre-d'Aurillac.
"We will never let go !"
A symbolic action for these elected officials, who hope to take back their boat by having obtained a derogatory classification from the prefecture.