The trip of the prefect from Corsica to Bastia yesterday took place without Gilles Simeoni. The tension and the tone rose. In the background, deep differences. In particular on the allocation of money for the exceptional investment program. Below a balance of power
In the course with a very ministerial emphasis – we talk about “Walking tour”, lunch at the “Prefectural residence” or “The Prefect of Corsica” will be accompanied by his “Wife” – addressed, from cabinet to cabinet, that of prefect of Haute-Corse to that of President of the Executive Council, nowhere does the registered presence of Gilles Simeoni on the site of the visit traced by Pascal Lelarge.
Instead, the 12 noon – 12.40 p.m. time line, which mentions the “Working meeting at the CCI, about port and airport files” the following participants, “CoC, Prefect of Region, Prefect of Department, President CCI, DG CCI, DG Port, Commander Edeline, DTTM”.
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The only two interlocutors to be represented as entities and not natural persons are the Collectivité de Corse and the Territorial Directorate of Territories and the Sea.
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The President of the Executive, he goes further. He deplores, in a text posted on his Twitter account – “The good old days of the colonies” – in scathing terms taken from a semantics more usually associated with the hard branch of nationalists, not having been invited to this trip by the representative of the State.
« Invitation alibi »
He planned to visit Poretta airport and the port of Bastia in the morning, before the discussion on the investments envisaged for these infrastructures as part of the future transformation and investment plan for Corsica (PTIC).
At the beginning of the afternoon, it is the Cézanne, a real estate complex whose acquisition is planned under the exceptional investment program (PEI), which must be the subject of Pascal Lelarge’s attention.
Beyond a question of decorum and a bristol that Gilles Simeoni is indignant at not having received with the manner, or at least very chipped, the President of the Executive, is astonished by this failure to evidence known and known to all. And reminds the prefect of the foundation, the fundamentals. Institutional.
“The Collectivité de Corse is the owner of the port and airport infrastructures and the licensing authority to the CCI for their operation. Like its concessionaire, it is concerned by the development of these infrastructures. Likewise, it is, or should be, primarily concerned by discussions relating to the future PTIC, a fortiori when they relate to works of which it is the owner. Finally, it is co-manager and co-financier with the State of the PEI ‘social land’ program under which the acquisition of the Cézanne building is envisaged. “
Nevertheless, blame President Simeoni, “I note that the prefect of Corsica has deliberately chosen not to associate the President of the Executive Council and the Community of Corsica with these visits and meetings, except in the form of a last-minute alibi invitation.”
But the sinews of war are ultimately not so much in these relations now publicly labeled as so many power struggles, any more than in the impossible dialogue between a senior official and a political leader at the head of a single community. not speaking a similar language.
It is in a grip of the State, the word – a time forgotten, during the mandate of Franck Robine – returns regularly since the arrival of Prefect Lelarge, in the mouth of the nationalist majority in power. A stranglehold that is exerted, in particular, denounces Gilles Simeoni, on the envelopes of credits allocated to Corsica.
” Take it or leave it “
It is this demonstration that matters to the President of the Executive, he had already begun to unveil in filigree a piece of the reverse of the decor during the recent session of the Assembly of Corsica.
This time, Gilles Simeoni lifts the veil. Whole. “We have broken down all the loans from the exceptional investment plan, the approximately 100 M € still unallocated went to the last Corepa (regional aid programming committee, editor’s note), the allocation of the IEP sums being made on the basis of a joint decision between the prefect and the president of the Executive Council. However, we have a large litigation on the land PEI for which it is necessary to program 18 M € before December 31, 2020. In other words, there is 18 M €, under the land office, to be allocated to several operations . Including one in Bastia, the Cézanne, one in Porto-Vecchio to buy land, and three small operations in Ajaccio that we have offered to finance. Three weeks ago, the Prefect Lelarge informed me that in these 18 M €, he wanted 6.5 M € to be dedicated to the acquisition project of the site of La Miséricorde, the current hospital, supported by the city of Ajaccio. To which the land office replied that on the one hand, this operation was not ripe, we never talked about it. And that, on the other hand, the PEI regulations on the part of the land office provide that we can only help operations involving 70% of social housing. “
Problem, in the small folder that “Has been given to us, only 27% of social housing is planned, so we are off the hook. In addition, to finance this operation, the land office must go into debt and take out a loan, which also constitutes a change in the rules. During Corepa on December 16, Prefect Lelarge said that it was take it or leave it and that if we did not agree to finance this, he would block everything, even if it meant losing the € 18 million. We got in touch with the city of Ajaccio which confirmed to us that it saw this operation rather registered with the PTIC than with the PEI ”.
Pascal Lelarge, beating the ground, was Didier Mamis, the Secretary General of Corsican Affairs, officially invited to accompany the prefect, who was the voice of the latter.
“The last Corepa programmed € 100 million in projects, ie the last operations under the land component of the PEI. However, currently, we are trying to look at what did not achieve consensus in this meeting, that is to say the file of the land office of Corsica. Several meetings between the State, the Collectivity and the land office were organized to arrive in Corepa with a proposal. This proposal aimed to support, at this end of PEI, both a development project in Ajaccio in the Mercy district, the so-called Cézanne project in Bastia and another in Porto-Vecchio. We therefore submitted a somewhat balanced solution which consisted in supporting the two operations plus that of Porto-Vecchio. This is what was put on the table and which did not reach a consensus. “
In case of disagreement
What about the argument raised by the President of the Executive on the rules governing the financing of the operations of the land component of the PEI, in particular the percentage of social housing to be respected?
“These are conventional rules established between the State and the CdC. The land component dates from 2016, a first amendment to this initial agreement was signed in the summer of 2020. This amendment aimed in particular to be able to finance, via the PEI, municipal housing, by leaving the first objectives set for operations in zones tense, therefore rather urban, with indeed especially real estate projects and areas in social housing of 70% minimum. The services have worked to change these rules in this direction. The key is the possibility of inserting real development operations that are not real estate projects but projects, of the Mercy type, falling, by definition, to a land office. It is this convention which did not achieve consensus. “
Except that Gilles Simeoni does not budge, “It was never considered to derogate from the rule of 70% of social housing”.
What will happen on December 31? “We are trying to reach an agreement”, says Didier Mamis.
If no agreement is reached between the two parties? “These State credits will not be lost and we will be able to mobilize them again next year for operations such as land development, real estate projects”.
But will we waste time? “Yes, if there is no agreement … The parties must agree to agree to an agreement within the framework of the IAP. This is how the MYP works. “
Precisely.
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