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    The Grand Est regional council has 169 elected members. The Plenary Assembly, which brings together the 169 elected councillors, holds 4 to 5 meetings a year, with a session necessarily devoted to the examination and voting of the community budget, a political act which sets the main priorities for regional action.

    The Regional Council delegates some of its powers to the Standing Committee. Chaired by Franck Leroy, President of the Regional Council, it has 56 members and meets once a month, in a public session, to implement regional policies in accordance with the decisions adopted in Plenary Assembly and after opinion of the 15 specialised committees. The Standing Committee deliberates regularly on all questions submitted by the President and allocates the appropriations entered in the budget.

    The Committees study the dossiers that come under the different regional competences and put forward their views to the President of the Region.

    15 thematic committees have been formed :

    • The Finance Committee
    • The International Relations Committee
    • The Committee on Transport, Travel and Infrastructure
    • The Vocational Training Committee
    • The Committee on Sustainable High School and Education
    • The Economic Development Committee
    • The Higher Education, Research and Innovation Committee
    • The Commission on Territories
    • The Environment Commission
    • The Agriculture, Viticulture and Forestry Commission
    • The Culture and Memory Commission
    • The Tourism Commission
    • The Health, Solidarity and Citizenship Commission
    • The Sport and Youth Commission
    • The Mountain, Rurality, Local Heritage and Landscape Heritage Commission

    3.9 billion euros in 2023 : Success the transitions

    The Grand Est Region adopted during the Plenary Session of December 16, 2022, its initial 2023 budget of nearly 3.9 billion euros. This budget is marked by an investment amount of more than 1.6 billion euros, mobilizing regional and European funds.

    Protecting inhabitants, supporting territories in transitions and anticipating future challenges : the three budgetary orientations debated in November 2022 structure the primary budget for 2023, placing the Grand Est in an ambitious strategy of transformation, with an unprecedented level of investment.
    Between 2015 and 2023, the Region has doubled its investments to offer a sustainable future to its inhabitants.

    Protecting people from the consequences of current crises

    In the current context marked by the health and energy crises, and with the acceleration of climate change, the Region’s priority is to protect all the inhabitants of the Grand Est. Defending their purchasing power, guaranteeing their safety, ensuring their travel, their access to healthcare, etc. The Regional Authority is doing its best to look after its fellow citizens.

    • Young people will be the main beneficiaries of the tariff shield decided for next year: the Region will not pass on the increase in the cost of raw materials to the school catering tariff and will absorb the additional energy costs of the establishments over the last few months of 2022 (up to 50 million euros more than in 2021, i.e. +100%). High school students will also benefit from the high school security plan (12 pilot schools in 2023) to enable them to study in the best possible conditions.
    • The tariff shield will also be deployed on transport, as the Region will not pass on the increase in energy tariffs to TER ticket prices.
    • Protecting the inhabitants of the Grand Est also means ensuring access to healthcare for all. To fight against medical desertification and the lack of healthcare personnel, the deployment of telemedicine will continue and more than 500 new training places for nurses and nursing assistants will be created in 2023.

    Investment and innovation

    In 2023, the Grand Est Region will intensify its support for transitions:

    Ecological transition

    • It will remain the priority, with, for example, the acceleration of the energy sobriety programme “Lycées verts” (450 million euros) and the deployment of the sustainable food action plan (ADAGE programme) within high schools, the mass renovation of public buildings and housing, or the development of non-polluting energy sources such as green hydrogen. In 2023, the Region will also be responsible for managing the 228 Natura 2000 sites in the Grand Est region.
    • In order to promote alternative modes of transport to the car, 263 million euros will be invested in the modernisation, extension and maintenance of the rail network, including an increase in rail services and the introduction of the Strasbourg REME offering 800 additional trains each week.
    • The Region’s bicycle plan initiated in 2022 (125 million euros) will also be strengthened with the implementation of a regional bicycle rental service in stations.
    • For school transport, the policy of greening the bus fleet will continue to develop: almost 275 million euros will be mobilised in order to offer a daily school transport service to more than 200,000 pupils and inter-city services to more than 40,000 users.

    Economic transition

    • Several major economic projects will be pursued, starting with a new business support model. The transformation paths will simplify access to the expertise, resources and financing necessary for the success of these transformations as : decarbonisation, securing supply chains, industrial performance, cyber security.
    • The transformation paths will be accompanied by support for industrial investment and relocation, as well as support for the transition of the automotive sector.
    • 2023 will also see the emergence of a regional strategy for the living economy based on sustainable agricultural systems and the development of bio-sourced products, vectors of growth and non-dislocatable jobs.
    • The Region also wants to prepare for the future by ensuring the next generation of farmers, winegrowers and foresters. This is the objective of the Lycées Agricoles 2030 initiative, which offers an effective and innovative educational framework for future generations.
    • Vocational training will be oriented as a priority towards jobs in short supply and the jobs of the future identified by the Business Act approach: automotive, energy, agri-food, bioeconomy, hydrogen, industry of the future, water and biodiversity.

    Digital transition

    It will continue with the completion of the deployment of fibre optic cable throughout the Grand Est region, and for the agents of the Collectivité, the implementation of a new digital work environment.

    Health transition

    It will remain at the heart of regional policies, as shown by the continuity of the 2021-2027 health roadmap, with, the renewal of the regional “Physical and sports activities for health” plan, the European REACT-EU programme intended for health establishments and enabling the acquisition of adapted equipment or the development of training structures, or even the finalisation of the creation of 200 teleconsultation sites.

    An exemplary local authority to better anticipate future challenges

    To better anticipate the challenges of tomorrow’s transformations, it is first of all necessary to know how to evaluate one’s own expenditure. This is what the Region has been doing for two years now with the climate analysis of its budget, which provides valuable indicators for a more sustainable future. The results make it possible to identify spending that is beneficial for the climate and that which has negative effects, and to orient policies accordingly. Of the total budget (3.879 billion euros), almost 80% of the expenditure (3.065 billion) could be analysed (European funds are not included in the scope of this analysis).

    Among the concrete measures implemented within the Collectivité to reduce the carbon footprint, we can mention the Employer Mobility Plan aimed at facilitating staff travel and supporting changes in practices, the conversion of the former gas boilers of the high schools to connect them to collective heating networks, and the installation of 85,000 m2 of photovoltaic solar panels on approximately 60 high school roofs (Solar’Est).

    Download the 2023 budget presentation (french version)