On the eve of the Metropolitan Council, the far-right opposition decries an insufficient 2022 budget allocated to the economic attractiveness of the territory. Jean Moucheboeuf and Valérie Delpech express concern about tourism.
On June 28, during a press conference, the elected members of the group “A Different Path for the Metropolis” denounced the economic development financing of the NCA Metropolis as being “at a standstill.” On the eve of the Metropolitan Council, they accuse the “Estrosi community” of making Nice a “poor performer” in terms of poverty rates, median salary, and job creation rates.
This Metropolitan Council is an opportunity for the council members to approve the 2022 Unique Financial Account. It presents the summary of all budgetary expenditures executed in 2022. The opposition group does not fully approve these expenses. They point to the “weakness in economic development investments revealed by the execution of the 2022 budget.”
“A Lack of Economic Commitment”
The initial 2022 budget for the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis (NCA), voted in March 2022, planned for 336.7 million euros in investment expenditure, including 17.9 million euros for economic development and attractiveness (accounting for 5.2% of the total budget). The Zemmour group criticizes the majority, noting that at the time of auditing, the actual expenditures in this area amounted to 6.9 million euros, which is 2.5 times less than expected.
This allocation is described as “absolutely ridiculous” and “reflects the lack of economic commitment,” comments Valérie Delpech, a Zemmourist metropolitan councilor. “We cannot justify such a low figure, it seems astonishing to us given the ambitions of the metropolitan president,” she asserts.
For 2023, the MNCA plans actual investment expenditures for economic attractiveness of 32 million euros, marking a significant increase.
Poverty, Job Creation, Median Salary: Indicators “in the Red”
“The three main socio-economic indicators in our metropolis are in the red,” warns Jean Moucheboeuf, the Retrouver Nice municipal councilor. The elected official particularly highlights a “very, very low job creation rate.” “In 14 years, we have gained 1,200 jobs!” he states. But this is not the only issue; he also points to a poverty rate above the national average. In 2020, according to INSEE, nearly 17% of people were living below the poverty line, affecting nearly 95,000 individuals.
Finally, he notes that between 2009 and 2020, the metropolitan population grew by 2%, while the French population increased by 4.4%, “a sign of weak economic dynamism.” “The socio-economic reality of our metropolis, which is highlighted by Christian Estrosi, is clearly lagging behind the national average, far from the image it projects today,” he summarizes.
Tourism, the Risk of a “Monosector” Activity
The elected officials criticize the Metropolis for being far too dependent on tourism. This “monosector” feature worries them, on the eve of a “post-COVID economic crisis that has yet to arrive” or the climate crisis. According to them, it is imperative to broaden spending, particularly by investing in business tourism or culture through greater investment around the Victorine Studios. In this context, the destruction of the Palais Acropolis and the TNN is still controversial.
Tourism is a key activity for the territory. It accounts for 15% of the GDP, which is twice as much as the French territory.
