No figures have been released by the Region but the unions are very worried. President Christelle Morançais calls for the construction of a new model, more independent of public money.
Even before the official announcement of the expected budgetary restrictions, protests are already being heard. Proof that Christelle Morançais, president of the Loire" rel="tag">Pays de la Loire region, is tackling a sensitive subject. To respond to the government and anticipate future drops in community revenue, the elected official close to the Horizons party is seeking 100 million savings. The cultural sector will not escape this. The subsidies allocated to it could even drop drastically.
The SFA-CGT of Pays de la Loire mentions the figure of 73% budget reduction. “In sport, it would be 74% and in the gender equality sector, 90%”indicates to Figaro Pierre Bedouet, representative of the French performing artists’ union, evoking rumors from the corridors. “This will have an impact on the entire territory. Some will not be able to recover from it”he fears, indicating that the Pays de la Loire National Orchestra, the La Folle Journee music festival, or even that of Chainon Manquant in Laval could be affected. Spokesperson for a worried sector, he relays fears of cascading layoffs and evokes a decision “ideological”.
What is the sustainability of a system which, to exist, is so dependent on public money?
Christelle Morançais, president of the Pays de la Loire region (Horizons)
On the side of the Region, contacted by Le Figaroarbitrations are still in progress and no figures have been confirmed or denied. These will be revealed shortly before the next session on December 19, devoted to the budget. However, in a long message published on X, regional president Christelle Morançais has already stepped up to respond to the emerging accusations. “So culture would be an untouchable monopoly? The monopoly of very politicized associations, which live on public money”replies the ex-member of the LR. “What is the sustainability of a system which, to exist, is so dependent on public money (including from communities whose legal powers in matters of culture are very limited); and even more so when this public money no longer exists? A system which we note, in addition, is, despite the subsidies it benefits from, in permanent crisis! Is this not proof that our cultural model urgently needs to reinvent itself?she still wonders.
A statement that did not fail to provoke a reaction. His comments were thus welcomed by his political allies, like his vice-president in charge of Culture Isabelle Leroy. “Culture, the heart of our collective identity, indeed deserves a more resilient model that is less dependent on public subsidies. It is time to encourage independent initiatives, partnerships and new forms of financing that will allow culture to prosper sustainably. writes the one who follows in the footsteps of her boss.
Layoffs and event cancellations
On the other hand, his political opponents have also spoken out. “The consequences of such a decision would be extremely serious for the entire regional cultural sector, leading to layoffs, cancellations of events, elimination of festivals, or disappearance of associations. The regional current music sector alone estimates that the consequences of such a decision could be several hundred jobs lost.denounces for example Franck Nicolon, regional advisor of the Ecology Together group. “Weakening cultural decentralization means weakening the Republic”agrees Aymeric Seassau, communist deputy in charge of Culture at Nantes town hall, also invoking Malraux.
In an inter-union press release, regional cultural actors call for mobilization on November 25, the day of meeting between the mayors of Loire-Atlantique and the regional president. Also attacked on the amount of 100 million savings, an amount greater than the 40 million explicitly requested by Michel Barnier, Christelle Morançais made a clarification in a second message. “While the government is draining communities (40 million from the Region in 2025) and growth is slowing down (and therefore the Region’s revenue, based on VAT, is falling sharply), making operating savings, including drastically, is anything but a choice or a whim: it is a budgetary necessity, but above all a moral duty towards our children, our ability to prepare for the future and our businesses who are, today, in difficulty!”. From now on, it assumes that it wants to refocus on regional skills such as employment, youth and transitions. In 2023, his counterpart in the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region Laurent Wauquiez, now a deputy, also received an avalanche of criticism after cutting certain cultural subsidies.
