with €187 million less, Carole Delga will “reduce the pace” of the Region

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It is not yet an austerity budget, but Carole Delgapresident of the Occitanie regionconfirmed this Thursday, November 14 that the community, which will lose on its next budget 187 million euroswill have to reduce the sail on its investment projects. In 2024, for comparison, the Region had voted for a budget of €950 million… To use the expression that became famous (in spite of himself) from a former prefect of Hérault, “it's over.”

€139.7 million taken by Michel Barnier

President Occitane listed very precisely the losses announced for the community which therefore amounts to almost 200 million euros: “As part of the 2025 finance bill of the State, our budget will be taken directly from 139,7 M€ », she confirms. In detail, the community will lose on several positions: starting with a levy on tax revenue estimated at €50.9 million, accompanied by a drop in state allocations of €29.9 million. To this is added a loss on VAT of €52 million and another drain of €6.9 million for the community's contribution to the national retirement fund for local authority agents.

In total, less €187 million for the Region

“But the subtraction does not stop there… We must also take into account other expenses which have a strong impact on the budget, despite ourselves,” continues the president, who points to a shortfall of €12 million. on gray cardsdue to the exemption of electric vehicles. Measures in favor of purchasing power of civil servants will also cause an additional cost of €22 million… “And it's not over: we must compensate for the State's withdrawal from the apprenticeship fundingi.e. €3.4 million, and assume the elimination of its participation in the Cévenol railway lineor €4.5 million. Finally, we have to pay a additional energy cost not compensated by the State of €5 million”.

“Michel Barnier’s project is unfair and has serious consequences for the territories, especially since we have played the game in the post-covid period by increasing our investments by 26%”

At the end, l’addition reached an astronomical amount for the community “which has already suffered nearly €210 million in imposed and uncompensated reductions in 2023 and 2024”, does not dishearten the president who denounces “ and disproportionate effort asked of the communities… This situation is all the more unfair as they are not responsible for the national debt: they only represent 7.8% of the public debt even though they ensure 60% of public investmentincluding 12% for the Regions.

Occitanie doubly penalized

“The 2025 finance bill carried by Michel Barnier is unfair and heavy with consequences for the territories, especially since we played the game in the post-covid by increasing our investments by 26%,” says Carole Delga: “Moreover, our region knows strong demographic dynamics which requires essential investments in high schools, training, road and rail transport, health, etc..” The president will therefore have to make trade-offs: “We are shifting the traditional Budget Orientation Debate (the DOB) from November to December in particular in order to have in hand the government's finance bill… We will then adopt the budget in January 2025.

Carole Delga will save money

A budget which will be marked by the savings seal : “We will maintain our interventions in three priorities: the defense of purchasing power, employment and health. But for this, we will stop compensating for the State's disengagement on several points, notably the financing of energy renovation and that of railway infrastructure of which the State is the owner. First measure: the Region postpones the order for ten new trains, representing a saving of €93 million. “We are maintaining our plans to small lines Montrejeau – Luchon, Alès – Bessèges and Right Bank of the Rhône, and we will think about the Limoux – Quillan and Rodez – Séverac lines. We also remain partners of the two LGV projects, including the Montpellier-Béziers connection.

“Investments: we are going to take a break on certain projects planned under the State-Region Plan Contract and we are going to have discussions with the financiers”

The Region will also will come the creation of new positions in 2025 (the payroll represents 17.8% of the Occitanie budget compared to 19.1% on average for the other regions) and will accelerate the merger of the various large regional agencies to go from seven to three , specializing in economy, culture and climate. This pooling of resources has already been initiated and must generate €17 million in savings by 2028. The community also plans to cancel certain measures “which duplicate those of the State”, such as Rénov’Occitanie which will give way to MaPrim'Renov, an annual saving of €2 million.

Rationalize participations

“We are going to reduce our intervention systems and re-query projects with partners, including other communities,” warns the president who will also streamline its participations in state organizations and in structures “which do not depend on the Region, such as l’EIDa saving of €2.3 million.” Carole Delga announces that she will complete the commitments made on existing projects but that she intends to “take a break” on certain projects planned as part of the State-Region Plan Contract and promises “ of the upcoming discussions with the financiers.

See you on December 19

The regional elected official sets herself the objective of not exceeding the red line : “For the Regions, the alert threshold is set at 9 years in relation to the debt reduction capacity. We were at 6.6 years in 2023, and we will be above 7 years at the end of 2024. Given the circumstances, we risk ultimately reaching 8 years old but I will do everything not to come to that.” Until then, regional elected officials have around ten days to adapt to the new data and make proposals. “I will of the arbitrations and we will discuss the proposals in an assembly during the DOB scheduled in Montpellier on December 19.”

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