The regional council of Brittany issued an unprecedented wish this Friday, asking the State to open “discussions” with a view to legislative, regulatory and fiscal autonomy for the region. “We are aware of the somewhat sulphurous nature of the notion of autonomy in French political grammar”, admitted Aziliz Gouez, during the presentation of the text for the autonomist group “Breizh a-gleiz”. “Brittany is ready, mature to embark on this path of legislative, regulatory and fiscal autonomy,” she added.
The text presented by the regional councilor of Brittany in favor of autonomy was approved by all the political groups present, except the National Rally. It comes as the government has pledged to open a process of discussions in Corsica on a possible autonomous status for the island. To go in the direction of this request, the deputy and regional councilor LR Marc Le Fur stressed that there already existed in Alsace “another labor law more protective of workers, another more protective social security”. “There are specific laws in France (…) This opens up prospects for us”, he underlined.
“A very limited budgetary capacity” for the regions
According to him, this autonomy would “ultimately render a great service to the State itself”, which is “as omnipotent as it is impotent”. The vice-president of the regional council Michaël Quernez meanwhile said “yes to this extra soul that is autonomy” for the majority group (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats). The PS president of the region Loïg Chesnais-Girard, who also came out in favor of this text, considered that this text gave “strength to Brittany” and insisted on the fact that it was necessary “to find a response to this democratic fatigue that is there”.
The text indicates in particular that the regions “have a very limited budgetary capacity” and “have no regulatory power in their own areas of competence”, finding themselves “too often reduced to asking the State to act to settle issues that may fall under their responsibility. A situation causing “delays, tensions, misunderstandings”.
In this wish, Brittany asks the next governments and parliament “to begin discussions for the definition of a possible model of autonomy for Brittany, including a share of legislative and regulatory power” as well as a “redefinition of relations budgets between the Region and the State, with the aim of guaranteeing the region a basket of significant tax resources with the power to rate and define the tax base”. The text also calls for a consultation on the reunification of Brittany with five departments, including Loire-Atlantique.