After a year of interruption due to a health crisis, the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) will hold in Paris, from November 16 to 18, its 103e Congress. The event should bring together no less than ten thousand participants and is of particular interest this year: first congress after the 2020 municipal elections and the Covid-19 crisis, last congress before the presidential election, last congress of François Baroin at the presidency of the AMF and, for the first time in half a century, competition and vote between two lists to appoint his successor. So many ingredients that give this meeting a singular importance. The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, is expected to speak at the closing, said Mr. Baroin, Wednesday, November 3, during a presentation to the press.
Since 2017, relations between the AMF and the executive power have been marked by reciprocal mistrust, incomprehension and, ultimately, confrontation. While the successive crises that the country has gone through – “yellow vests”, Covid, for the most striking – have forced the State and local authorities to form a common front, to work together, each in its role, in a logic of complementarity.
This is not what retains the oldest association of elected officials, which decided to place this 103e congress under the theme “mayors on the front line in the face of crises”. “It will be a congress of tribute to the mayors, says Mr. Baroin. The crisis has reinforced the indispensable and irreplaceable role of the mayor as a pillar of the Republic. A new generation arose in 2020, which immediately engaged in an exceptional situation and found itself in immediate responsibility. “ The president of the AMF intends to make this event “A congress of interpellation of the public powers, a strong call to the renegotiation of the relations between the State and the communities, to a new sharing of the responsibilities”.
Communities more associated with the State
The AMF continues to consider that the financial results of the Covid crisis for the municipalities have not been closed, despite the support mechanisms implemented by the State. “We demand the nationalization of the expenses incurred by the municipalities. The Covid bill for operating expenses amounts to 5 or 6 billion euros, supports the mayor (Les Républicains) of Troyes. It is incomprehensible to us that 100% consideration has not been taken into account by the State. “
Beyond these financial requirements, the AMF intends to take “A strong initiative to solicit commitments from candidates for the presidential election”. “The challenge is the reorganization of public authorities, urges Mr. Baroin. The status quo is no longer possible, the state must reorganize. “ Finally, he intends that local authorities be closely involved in the definition of investments within the framework of the France 2030 plan, while their cash flow reached, at the end of July, a record level of 72 billion euros. “We cannot imagine the State preparing alone, without the communities, the investments for 2030, notes the former Minister of the Budget, then of the Economy and Finance, of Nicolas Sarkozy. It would be a bit like a cyclist embarking on the Grande Boucle without a bicycle. “
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