By signing the open letter from Régions de France to the Prime Minister, Serge Letchimy brings Martinique into an unprecedented coalition of fifteen regional and local government leaders. Behind the unanimous outcry lies a question unique to our country: What is the value of the promise of «new responsibilities» in the framework agreement of July 1, if the government takes back with one hand—through the budget—what it grants with the other—through institutional arrangements?
An Unprecedented Territorial Front
This gesture is not insignificant. Fifteen regional and local government leaders—from mainland France, the overseas territories, and Corsica—have signed a joint statement addressed to the Prime Minister: «2027 Budget: Don’t Sacrifice the Future!» The spectrum of political views is represented there, from the Republican right to the autonomist left in the overseas territories. Serge Letchimy is listed alongside his counterparts from Guadeloupe, Ary Chalus; from French Guiana, Gabriel Serville; and from Réunion, Huguette Bello.
When such a political spectrum—usually rife with rivalries—speaks with one voice, the dispute with the state ceases to be partisan: it becomes structural.
The tone of the letter stands in stark contrast to the typically subdued language typically used in relations between the government and local authorities. The signatories denounce a France «where the future is sacrificed to satisfy the immediate and the inconsistent», budget trade-offs made «without fully assessing their impact on people's real lives», even going so far as to raise the specter of a «another strange defeat».
The Budget «Crackdown» in Numbers
The data presented by Régions de France reveal an asymmetry that is hard to dispute.
Between 2025 and 2026, 1.7 billion euros were drawn from regional resources.
The regions thus bear the cost of a quarter of the burden placed on all local and regional governments, even though they account for only 11 % of local spending and just 1 % of the national public debt.
The result is already evident: a historic decline of 1.3 billion euros in regional investment in 2025.
In addition to these cuts, there are targeted cuts to key policies:
A reduction of one-eighth in apprenticeship subsidies (-235 million euros), which primarily affects young people from the lowest-income families.
A reduction of 223 million euros in funding for vocational training, putting employees undergoing retraining in a vulnerable position.
The financial health of the regions is also deteriorating. Their cash reserves are now limited to eight days of operation, while the time it takes them to pay off their debt has increased from From 3.6 years in 2012 to 6.1 years in 2025.
In other words, the community from which the government is currently demanding the greatest effort is also the one with the least financial leeway.
«All regions are now being made scapegoats for the government’s budgetary shortfalls. […] Martinique is no exception, despite the colossal recovery efforts we have undertaken. The responsibility we have taken on deserves better than the government’s withdrawal of support. This situation is no longer tenable.»
Serge Letchimy, President of the Executive Council of Martinique
Matignon: A Promise That Never Came to Fruition
The most serious criticism raised by the regions is not merely financial.
He's a politician.
At the Régions de France conference in November 2025, the Prime Minister pledged to bring together regional leaders to work with them to lay the groundwork for the country’s success.
Eight months later, despite numerous requests, no meeting had been scheduled.
The open letter therefore constitutes a sign of a broken dialogue. When there is no longer an institutional response, the issue becomes a matter of public discussion.
The broader context further exacerbates this tension. The 2027 budget bill is shaping up to be particularly constrained, with the government aiming for a massive reduction in public spending. With just a few months to go before the presidential election, every budget decision takes on a political dimension.
Martinique: A Territory That Has Rebounded Without Government Support
Serge Letchimy's signature holds special significance.
The Territorial Collectivity of Martinique does not present itself as a community receiving financial assistance, but rather as one that has undertaken its financial recovery on its own.
When the new administration took office in July 2021, Commitments totaling 213.7 million euros were unfunded, or nearly 22 % of actual operating revenue.
After the government failed to respond to a request for an inspection, the CTM launched its own optimization plan.
More than 60 million euros in savings were achieved in 2025.
The administrative account adopted on June 25 shows:
an overall profit of 3.52 million euros; ;
Actual capital expenditures of 383 million euros were maintained despite the constraints.
Nevertheless, the situation remains extremely fragile.
The government's financial contribution to the CTM's budget has decreased by more than 30 million euros.
Social spending now exceeds 400 million euros, with 894 euros in aid per resident, versus 336 euros on average in other comparable departments, without equivalent compensation.
In addition to that:
– more than 95 % of legally required operating expenses; ;
– 50 to 90 million euros in new revenue still to be found; ;
– Martinique Transport’s significant structural deficit, including 11 million in revenue covers more than 230 million in expenses.
The term «pillory» used by Serge Letchimy thus reflects an objective reality: Martinique is facing the same budget cuts as other regions, but with more limited resources, heavier social security burdens, the additional costs associated with its island status, and an aging population.
The Paradox of the July 1 Agreement
This is probably where the most significant contradiction lies.
On July 1, 2026, the French government and the CTM signed a framework agreement described as historic, promising to grant Martinique greater responsibilities and greater capacity to act.
Thirteen days later, those same local governments publicly called on the state to stop cutting the resources needed to carry out these new responsibilities.
Article 72-2 of the Constitution is, however, explicit: any transfer of powers must be accompanied by the corresponding resources.
The open letter implicitly refers to this constitutional requirement.
This ties into a recurring issue in overseas policy:
the gap between legally recognized powers and the resources actually available to exercise them.
Normative autonomy without financial autonomy remains largely theoretical.
The issue of Martinique's institutional status will therefore be decided just as much in budget laws and in future constitutional developments.
National unity that gives greater voice to the overseas territories
Finally, this mobilization is of major political significance.
For once, the four overseas regional governments—Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Réunion—are taking exactly the same stance as Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, and Occitanie.
This convergence deprives the government of the argument that overseas demands are merely specific requests.
Serge Letchimy has thus chosen to focus on collective power rather than isolated protest.
A response that is now expected
The fifteen executives are requesting a working meeting at Matignon.
There are now two possible scenarios.
If this meeting is held, Martinique will have to defend its unique characteristics in this context: higher social costs, low revenue, an aging population, and the new institutional phase ushered in by the agreement of July 1.
If it isn't, The government's silence will take on political significance. The debate will then naturally shift to Parliament during the consideration of the 2027 budget bill, before continuing among voters as the presidential election approaches.
Ultimately, this open letter goes far beyond the budgetary issue alone. It raises a major institutional question: Can we ask local governments to take on more responsibilities while simultaneously reducing the resources that enable them to fulfill those responsibilities? The credibility of the new relationship between the central government and the regions will depend, to a large extent, on how this contradiction is resolved.
Gérard Dorwling-Carter
