Île-de-France, Marne, Drôme, Hérault… Greetings ceremonies canceled to save money

More and more communities are giving up organizing traditional greeting ceremonies, to save money. Île-de-France has just announced it and certain departments are following suit.

No petit fours and champagne. The president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, announced this Tuesday that she was giving up organizing her traditional greeting ceremony in 2025. Stated objective, “to chase down all savings”, while the community is subject to a sharp drop in revenue from the State.

Similar decision taken by the departments of Marne or Drôme. Seven departments have already announced that they are canceling their wishes ceremony for 2025. Among them, Haute-Loire, Seine-et-Marne, Hérault, Haute-Garonne and even Val d'Oise. Cancellations “due to the current economic situation” explain some of them.

A contradiction in the current period

“We should lose 81 million euros with the 2025 finance bill” develops the Val d'Oise department. For others, like Haute-Loire, it is also a symbol to cancel these festivities. “It is an obvious contradiction to organize this festive moment in a period which will not be,” explains the president of the department.

Others also announce more sober ceremonies to limit costs which generally amount to around ten or even tens of thousands of euros. For some, on the other hand, it is difficult to make such a decision. “It’s such an important moment where we can interact with citizens” explains the Dordogne, which maintains its ceremonies on the territory.