Politics. MPs vote for Alsace to leave Grand Est but legislative path remains long

After more than seven hours of debate over two days, the National Assembly adopted at 5:20 pm on Wednesday, April 8, with 131 votes in favor and 100 against, the proposed law to transform the current European Collectivity of Alsace (CEA) into a collectivity with a special status that “exercises by right the competences that laws attribute to departments and the competences that laws attribute to regions” (Article 2). In clear terms, the Assembly voted for the Alsace’s exit from the Grand Est, a long-standing demand of Alsace since the regions merged in 2015.

However, it is important to note that, as of now, no one has officially left the Grand Est. This vote is just the first step, and the text must now be examined by the Senate where it is expected to be modified. Once voted on, it will have to return to the National Assembly for a new reading.

The initial text, introduced in September by Brigitte Klinkert, a deputy from Haut-Rhin, and co-signed by 96 deputies, has been extensively modified through amendments in the laws committee and in the hemicycle. Initially focused on the Alsace region, it now aims to “make the European Collectivity of Alsace exit the Grand Est region”.

Following an amendment by Sandra Regol, a deputy from Bas-Rhin, the future collectivity will no longer be called the European Collectivity of Alsace as originally proposed, but simply “Alsace.”

The government’s proposal for a consultation of the Grand Est residents was withdrawn due to constitutional risks. It was deemed unconstitutional to condition the creation of a collectivity on a consultation within the same text of a law. This issue will also be raised for another amendment regarding a local referendum in the Alsace region.

The National Assembly also rejected the government’s amendment for ordinances to implement the reform on the ground, ensuring that there is still a long way to go before the text becomes stable.

This crucial vote has different significances for various stakeholders. The President of the CEA, Frédéric Bierry, sees it as a decisive step to meet the democratic expectations of the people of Alsace. On the contrary, the regional president Franck Leroy believes it is more of a political communication strategy that overlooks institutional stability.

While progress has been made, there is still much work to be done, as highlighted by various officials and stakeholders expressing the need for further modifications and discussions, especially as the deadline for implementation before the next regional term is tight.