“A mistake”, this is what the merger of the three regions of Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes was for Olivier, 38, on January 1, 2016. “There was too much centralization which led to hypermetropolisation of Bordeaux and accentuated the isolation of the rest of the territory”, he believes. If we are to believe the information of The Noon Dispatch, Emmanuel Macron would consider merging the departmental and regional advisers to make them territorial advisers. But fearing that they are too far from their constituents in the configuration of the new regions, he would think about returning to the pre-2016 division for the largest regions. Or New Aquitaine, Occitanie, Grand-Est and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the largest region in France, with a size equivalent to Austria, more than 84,000 m2. “What could the people of Thouars, a town located 30 km from the Loire, have in common with the Basques? “, annoys Jean-Paul, 78, who was one of more than 500 contributors to respond to the call launched by 20 minutes. Many point to a merger for the benefit of Aquitaine which disadvantaged the two former regions (Limousin and Poitou-Charentes). “Bordeaux is content to stifle Limoges and Poitiers, loose Isabelle, 44 years old. There is no territorial continuity between the former small regions, no buses and no progress in terms of ecology. Might as well go back to three regions! »
Limousin, the poor relation of this merger
According to our Internet users, Limousin would really be the poor relation of this merger, particularly in terms of transport. “The Nouvelle-Aquitaine region has done us a lot of harm in terms of rail, says Anaïs, a 35-year-old limousine. Funding is concentrated in the Bordeaux region and the money donated by the former Limousin region is used to buy new trains that only run in Bordeaux. Small lines are no longer maintained when simply not abandoned. From the new large region, routes are canceled for lack of equipment (no train available). Let’s go back to our small region and to local and non-penalizing management. “For Jean-Pierre, 72, it would even be necessary to bring the division before 2016 into the Constitution to” no longer be able to be the subject of electoral tinkering by the power in place. »
The president of the greater region Alain Rousset (PS) considers that the merger has on the contrary allowed development for all the territories: “New Aquitaine has been organized, after concerns at the start, and we saw that the effects were particularly positive, in particular for Limousin and Poitou Charentes, for companies, universities, high schools and transport. “He takes as an example the creation of a cancer research structure which associates the three University Hospitals of the greater region: “The reform we are waiting for is decentralization, not going backwards. »
“Wacky and expensive to go back”
“I have been working at the Regional Council since 2011 and I have known the “before” and “the after” and even today, the services cannot even work together, testifies Karine, 45 years old. Having chefs scattered across Poitiers, Limoges and Bordeaux is unmanageable and the gain in economy sold in the merger is pure fiction. ” Difficult to have an accounting balance sheet of this merger operation but the president Alain Rousset assures it ” without the greater region the regional council of Poitou-Charentes would have been in default of payment. There was a takeover of the “hidden debts” of the old region during the merger.
Brandishing this economic argument, Fabrice, 52, initially opposed to the merger, confides to 20 minutes that “now that it has been done and its links stabilized (regional court of auditors, conservatory of natural spaces, regional biodiversity agency, etc.), it seems totally crazy and expensive to go back. “Going back on the merger would be “big nonsense,” adds Laurent. And our 43-year-old internet user adds: “the current regions have the right size to exist against other regions in European countries. Julien, a 45-year-old teacher, points out that “the greater New Aquitaine region has allowed investments in (his) Corrèze establishment that were not possible with the Limousin region”.
He was not in favor of the merger either, but Jean-Roland, 62, is now convinced that there is no going back: “It has generated investment capacities that are impossible to find in small regions even if is not rosy and that everything is not yet harmonized after seven years and that there is still a lot of work to be done”.
New cuts proposed
And like Jean-Roland, many of our readers point out that a step back would have a “destabilizing” effect, even if they were against this famous merger. “Our Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is big and even too big, but shouldn’t we have thought about it before? “, gets angry Philippe, 64 years old. Then there is the third way. “If there was a step back to do, it would be by being creative and imagining a new division or different things in order to maintain attractiveness for the whole territory and proximity”, advances Séverin, 49 years old. .
Jean-Claude, 59, suggests that Poitou-Charentes be cut in two. Les Deux Charentes would join Aquitaine while Grand Poitou would be attached to Pays-de-la-Loire or the Centre-Val-de-Loire region. Limousin could also be attached to the Centre-Val-de-Loire region. Finally, Philippe, 40, believes that the Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64) should be split, since “the Béarnaise Pau would be more coherently associated with Tarbes than with the Basque Country”.