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| National Front of Mayors | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Front of Mayors |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Founder | Wilfrid Titouan Durand |
| Headquarters | Paris |
| Region served | France |
| Leader title | President |
| Leader name | Anne Hidalgo |
National Front of Mayors The National Front of Mayors is a collective association of municipal leaders in France formed to coordinate urban policy, represent mayoral interests, and foster collaboration across cities such as Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. It brings together elected officials from parties including Socialist Party (France), La République En Marche!, and The Republicans (France), and engages with institutions like Association des Maires de France, Conseil d'Administration de l'Association des Maires and international bodies such as United Cities and Local Governments. The forum has held meetings in venues tied to Élysée Palace, Hôtel de Ville (Paris), and regional capitals like Lille and Bordeaux.
The initiative emerged in the aftermath of municipal contests involving figures such as Anne Hidalgo, Gérard Collomb, Martine Aubry, and Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol and was officially announced during a summit attended by representatives from Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and Occitanie. Its origins trace to discussions that referenced precedents from networks like United Cities and Local Governments, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and the Eurocities platform, and to municipal responses following national debates over laws such as the Law on Territorial Organization of the Republic (2015) and events like the Yellow vests movement. Early conferences featured panels with stakeholders connected to European Commission, Congrès des pouvoirs locaux et régionaux, and representatives from metropolitan areas including Metropole du Grand Paris and Métropole de Lyon.
The front is structured with a presidency and steering committee that has included mayors from Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, and Strasbourg. Membership spans communes represented by figures associated with parties like Socialist Party (France), Europe Ecology – The Greens, La France Insoumise, and Les Républicains (France), and includes ex-officio liaison roles for officials from Association des Maires de France, Assemblée des Départements de France, and representatives from Conseil régional d'Île-de-France. Administrative support is provided by staff with ties to institutions such as Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires, Banque des Territoires, and city cabinets modeled on offices in Hôtel de Ville (Lyon) and Hôtel de Ville (Marseille).
The declared mission aligns with municipal priorities championed by leaders like Anne Hidalgo, Gérard Collomb, and Benoît Payan: to coordinate urban policy across jurisdictions, to influence legislation debated in bodies such as the Assemblée nationale and the Sénat, and to present unified positions to European institutions including the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. Objectives emphasize sustainable urban planning reminiscent of initiatives by C40 Cities, climate resilience promoted by IPCC delegates, social housing strategies pioneered in Paris, and mobility transitions inspired by schemes in Milan and Amsterdam.
Initiatives mirror campaigns seen in networks like C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and programs funded through mechanisms such as the European Regional Development Fund and Horizon Europe. Programs have targeted retrofitting municipal buildings using frameworks referenced by Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Énergie, urban greening similar to projects in Barcelona and Berlin, and low-emission transport corridors modeled after Copenhagen and Freiburg im Breisgau. Pilot projects have been launched in partnership with universities like Sorbonne University, Université de Lyon, and research centers such as CNRS, and have attracted participation from tech partners including Dassault Systèmes and Thales.
The front advocates policy stances addressing urban sustainability, housing policy, and municipal finance, aligning with proposals debated in the Assemblée nationale and amendments considered by the Sénat. Positions echo demands by local leaders who previously confronted national reforms such as the NOTRe law and have included calls for increased transfers from bodies like the Direction générale des Collectivités locales and financing mechanisms reminiscent of the Banque des Territoires. On climate, its advocacy parallels targets set by Paris Agreement signatories and supports measures advocated by European Green Deal proponents. The organization has issued policy briefs critiquing national budgets presented by cabinets of Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex.
Collaborations extend to international municipal networks such as United Cities and Local Governments, Eurocities, and ICLEI — Local Governments for Sustainability, and to national associations like Association des Maires de France and Assemblée des Départements de France. It partners with academic institutions including Sciences Po, École Polytechnique, and École des Ponts ParisTech, and with financial actors such as Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and European Investment Bank. Project alliances have involved NGOs and foundations like Fondation de France and Rockefeller Foundation programs on urban resilience.
Critics drawn from political figures in Rassemblement National, Les Républicains (France), and La France Insoumise have accused the front of partisan bias and of aligning with metropolitan elites represented by mayors from Paris and Lyon. Debates have referenced tensions over decentralization reforms like the NOTRe law and fiscal debates involving the Budget of France, and controversies surfaced around perceived overlaps with bodies such as Association des Maires de France and negotiations with the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. Some commentators compared its formation to past municipal coalitions convened during periods overseen by prime ministers including Manuel Valls and François Fillon.
Category:Political organizations based in France