“We have to unite. This is why we need a new method in our joint work”, affirmed the head of government before the annual meeting of the Assembly of the departments of France (AdF), which took place held until Friday in Agen (Lot-et-Garonne).

“My first conviction is that we must together take a new step for real decentralization,” she said, after the president of the AdF, the UDI François Sauvadet, had asked for “more freedom ” for the departments.

“I am convinced, as the President of the Republic said, that we must change the model around differentiation and proximity”, added Ms. Borne, quoting the speech of Emmanuel Macron who promised real transfers of “responsibilities” and “funding”, during a trip to Mayenne.

“We must carry out these reflections with you as with the other communities”, assured the Prime Minister, the day after a speech by President LR of the Senate Gérard Larcher who had joked about the decentralization desired by the Head of State.

“Without wanting to be cruel, this is the third announcement: 2017, then 2019 and now 2022,” he said. “I hope that this is finally the right announcement for our territory and for our country”, he added, provoking the laughter of the participants in this annual congress of the AdF who rose to applaud him.

In addition, Ms. Borne assured that the communities would benefit next year from compensation of 10.4 billion euros in VAT in return for the contribution on the added value of companies (CVAE), a production tax collected by departments, municipalities and intermunicipalities.

In its draft budget for 2023, the government wants to abolish the CVAE over two years. Mr. Larcher asked Thursday for a one-year postponement of the application of this measure.

“This amount is significantly higher than that received by communities this year”, or 9.3 billion, said Ms. Borne.

Faced with soaring energy prices, the Prime Minister undertook to “soon present (…) a national system to limit the rise in energy prices, (as well as) a safety net for all communities that is set up for 2023”.