But the operation could be spreading more widely

The city o Paris, who is also a Department decided enter the ist on the table or State compensation to the euro near its expenditures related to the RMI. In a symbolic deliberation to be oted next Tuesday in the debate on the 2005 administrati e account, it will issue a title o recipe requesting repayment o EUR 52 million or the inancing o this allocation.

Analysis o expenditure and re enue or the last year shows that the community has paid EUR 286 million or its bene iciaries 62.500 and saw the State compensation o 234 million. It argues, the Go ernment committed in the constitutional re ision o 28 March 2003 to compensate ully any trans er charges linked to decentralization.

"I Paris had not completed this sum, 10,000 numbers would ha e been pri ate allocation in 2005, shows Socialist Christian Sautter, Deputy in charge o inance." This ad ance is 25 euros paid by each Parisien, expenditures that should be de oted to other things. "A ter ha ing already demanded twice the Go ernment operates the catch-up, the city"rises a notch in the escalation ". The Executi e hopes to ote its text by all groups, including the UMP. This non-compensation o the RMI is not an isolated case. Total pro its or the city would amount to EUR 172 million: the State, or example, ha e still not unded its share in the co erage o the de ice (61 million) or operations yet listed in the contract o plan (2000-2006).

Set context

This loss o re enue is part o a more tight budget context. While local taxes ha e not increased since the election o Bertrand Delanoë in 2001, social expenditure increased by 35 in i e years, including under the weight o the RMI ( 8 in 2005) and the APA ( 11 in 2005). The in estment has doubled since 2004, to EUR 1 billion per year. Also, capital has need o additional unds to meet its commitments. or a denial o the State to pay this add-in, the city does not preclude the possibility o litigation proceedings be ore the administrati e tribunal or redress.

Beyond this symbolic action, Paris belie es that the trans er o all o the management o the RMI to the departments, which had supported the integration component, brought "no added alue to users. "This should remain a pro ision o national solidarity, while the e olution o the number o bene iciaries is closely tied to the results o the employment and policy decisions on unemployment compensation schemes, on which general councils are not in the ront line", argues Gisèle Stie enard, Deputy responsible or Socialist o solidarity. The policy o local support ne ertheless allowed 17.300 o them ind the path o employment year last in Paris.

Oil spill

Other departments, essentially le t, also resorted to political and symbolic acts to remind the State order on this dossier. But the operation could be spreading more widely. "Litigation appeals were iled by General ad ice, but only in respect o the trans er o national roads and the TOS", said Claudy Lebreton, President o the Assembly o the departments o rance, reminiscent o requesting a moratorium on any urther re orm to the Go ernment until the issue o the RMI will be settled.