Alsace: MPs approve the exit from Grand Est, the bill continues its journey in the Senate.

The National Assembly adopted on Wednesday in first reading a bill aimed at removing Alsace from the Grand Est region, reigniting the debate on territorial organization in France.

Carried by the Macronist group, the text was adopted by 131 votes to 100, representing a clear majority but far from a consensus. It constitutes a "first step" according to Gabriel Attal, who mentions a response to "a strong aspiration of the Alsatians" and now calls for its inclusion on the Senate's agenda.

A contested Hollande reform

Since the Hollande reform of 2015, implemented on January 1, 2016, Alsace had been dissolved into the Grand Est region along with Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne, despite persistent opposition in the territory. The creation of the European Collectivity of Alsace in 2021, through the merger of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin, constituted a first corrective, although it did not restore Alsace as a fully-fledged region, since the territory remained included in the Grand Est. Therefore, Wednesday's vote opens a new chapter: ten years after the major regional merger, without any consultation, the National Assembly acknowledges for the first time the possibility of an institutional return of Alsace as a distinct entity.

A cross-party vote

The bill received support from the National Rally and Éric Ciotti's UDR, while it was opposed by the left and sparked divisions within the government camp itself.

A new referendum introduced

The deputies also adopted an ecological amendment providing for a local referendum to validate the creation of this new Alsatian collectivity, despite the rapporteur's reservations about the constitutionality of such a provision.

Next step: the Senate

The text must now be examined by the Senate, with no guarantee at this stage of its final adoption. The government will need to decide on its inclusion on the agenda.

Brittany: a question revived

This vote indirectly brings back to the table the question of adapting territorial structures to historical and cultural realities. Even though no amendment was proposed during the examination of the text to apply a similar logic to Brittany, particularly regarding administrative reunification, on social media, Loïg Chesnais-Girard reacted by stating "They might as well take the opportunity to attach Loire-Atlantique to Brittany, since they are not questioning the territories."