Illustration of a puzzle of the departments. - Stevens Frederic / SIPA

  • For Laurent Chalard, "the departments remain the essential administrative brick of France" against "the Parisian elites who wish to see them disappear".
  • His analysis, which is part of a new axis of decentralization launched by the government in February.
  • He proposes to redraw them to stick to the new living areas of the population.

Redesign the French departments and give them back power. This is the idea of ​​a geographer who is a member of the think tank European center for international affairs. For Laurent Chalard, "the departments remain the essential administrative brick of France, even if, for twenty years, the Parisian elites wish to see them disappear".

In fact, the departments have seen their role diminish in recent years, reduced to managing social aid without having real economic levers in return. His analysis, which is part of a new axis of decentralization launched by the government in February, argues, on the contrary, for a redistribution of powers with the region.

Low density and not very powerful metropolises

"Territorial reforms are dictated by European directives with a federal state model like in Germany," he underlines. However, with its low density and its inefficient metropolises, it is difficult for France to reproduce this economic model ”. According to him, “the new large oversized regions are struggling to infuse their influence. We need an intermediate level, in particular to manage industrial development in a coherent way ”.

He cites an example: “In the Grand Est region, Haute-Marne specializes in metallurgy while its neighbor, Aube, is specialized in textiles. However, seen from the regional capital, Strasbourg, where tertiarization has increased, these two industrial sectors are not seen as promising for the future. "

For the expert, this new decentralization is also necessary for the survival of medium-sized cities which "today, live mainly from their jobs as prefectural officials".

A necessary redistribution

But this strengthening of powers must also translate into a more coherent redistribution. Since 1790, when the French departments were created, the country's economic and social face has changed.

With the extension of urban areas, especially since 1970, the influence of certain cities now extends beyond the departmental territory. "We see it in the commuting to work in particular," says the geographer who relied on data from INSEE concerning living areas.

🗺️ A geographer took advantage of the confinement period to redraw the map of France of the departments. In # Saône-et-Loire, it took over the departmental limits in five places ... https://t.co/ueIM08dum1 pic.twitter.com/GFauRAQnJd

- The Journal of Saône-et-Loire (@lejsl) June 8, 2020

Hence the proposal to make sixty more or less major changes. “This would be the case, for example, for the municipalities of Isère and Ain today largely under the influence of Lyon. It would make more sense for them to join the Rhône, "emphasizes Chalard, adding that" this transfer can only be carried out with the approval of the inhabitants ".

Historical and geographic anomalies

Shaped by history, sometimes more than by geography, the departmental canvas also presents many "anomalies": the enclaves like those of Valréas for example or the division of the Moselle and Meurthe-et-Moselle because of the German annexation in 1870.

Finally, in mountainous areas, geographic evidence is obvious, according to Laurent Chalard. One case among others: the Urbaye valley being turned towards Gap, Barcelonnette has more logic to be in the Hautes-Alpes than in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

It remains to be seen whether the political powers of the departmental councils will be of the same opinion.

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