France/French border municipalities hope to be partly financed by Luxembourg
Urban planning, transport, healthcare - the financial gap between communes on either side of the Franco-Luxembourg border has never been so wide. This is what Olivier Jacquin, Senator for Meurthe-et-Moselle, denounced on Monday May 6, 2024. He would like to see the Grand Duchy play a greater role and set up a cooperation fund.
On the Luxembourg side, the communes are getting richer and richer; on the French side, the towns are getting poorer and poorer. A situation that displeases the elected representatives of northern Lorraine, who are crying out for help in covering the living expenses of cross-border workers. This Monday, May 6, Senator Olivier Jacquin and former Metz mayor Dominique Gros are hoping to get the French government on the negotiating table with neighboring Luxembourg.
An ever-increasing number of cross-border commuters
The burdens associated with the residence of cross-border commuters weigh heavily on French localities. The current situation is worrying, according to Olivier Jacquin, PS senator for Meurthe-et-Moselle.
"France is saying nothing, demanding nothing! I've spoken to the mayors of Thionville, Longwy and Audun-le-Tiche. They all agree. They're all struggling to finance infrastructure such as parking facilities for residents," explains the senator.
On May 6, 2024, a round table was organized in Villerupt (Meurthe-et-Moselle) with 60 participants, residents, MPs and local elected representatives, to discuss and find solutions. Dominique Gros, former mayor of Metz and president of the association Beyond Borders is also concerned.
"Luxembourg is constantly increasing its working population, and French communes are obliged to invest more. A cross-border worker pays contributions in Luxembourg. But all residence costs are borne by the French communes, including schools, crèches, sports facilities and roads. We used to think that a frontier worker meant one less unemployed person, but today the situation has changed", adds the former elected official.
Some 120,000 French cross-border commuters, or 55% of all foreign workers, travel to Luxembourg every day for work.
"We train people and they leave for the other side of the border. After the medical staff, now we're fighting over bus drivers. The contrast around the border has never been greater," continues Dominique Gros.
What are the solutions?
A Franco-Luxembourg Intergovernmental Commission is due to meet in June 2024. That's when the future of French communes could change, with the hope of an agreement to finance border localities. For Dominique Gros, a retrocession fiscale must be put in place.
"Every worker pays taxes in Luxembourg, and we'd like to recover part of these taxes to finance the residence expenses of cross-border commuters. This exists between Luxembourg and Belgium. Luxembourg pays 48 million euros a year to finance Belgian border municipalities. This agreement does not exist for France", explains the president of the Au-delà des frontières association.
This dynamic also meets with the approval of Olivier Jacquin. The senator would like to see the creation of a cooperation fund, 80% financed by Luxembourg, to alleviate the difficulties encountered by local authorities.
"As early as next week, I'll be tabling a bill on cooperation between France and Luxembourg. It's not a question of turning on Luxembourg, but of trying to rebalance things. Today, Luxembourg has all the benefits and we have all the burdens", concludes the Socialist Senator from Meurthe-et-Moselle.
According to Olivier Jacquin, on the Luxembourg side, some Socialist MPs are not closed to discussions. The French government will have to be persuaded to ask Luxembourg for this aid, and the Grand Duchy will have to be persuaded to accept.
Source: france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/
