As mayor of Cahors and president of the AMF Occitanie, can you confirm the difficulties encountered in the municipalities regarding passports and identity cards?

Yes, completely. I can tell you that today, the delays have lengthened, even in Cahors. And it has accelerated even more recently: in February, there was about a five-week wait here to make an appointment for the filing of the file. There, this period is reduced to a minimum of three months. It can go up to five! Manufacturing in the CERTs (Centre of Expertise and Title Resources) takes between two and five weeks, so it can be really long in the end.

Are there differences in time between rural municipalities and large cities?

It may be the case at first, but it is no longer so. Everything tends to harmonize across the country because people no longer hesitate to travel great distances to go to a town hall where their file will be processed more quickly. As it no longer depends on their place of residence… In Cahors, we have seen people arrive from the south-east, from Avignon in particular!

Where do you think these difficulties lie?

There are clearly identified motives, and this has already been said. Seasonality: traditionally, in March-April, upon additional request when exams and summer holidays approach. The post-Covid catch-up which manifests itself in two forms: people postponed certain administrative procedures during the Covid and are picking up again today, in addition to the fact that our staff were sometimes very absent because of the virus. And there is a more structural problem since 2017 and the obligation to have specific collection devices (DR) in town halls. Before that, 313 municipalities in the department could register requests, today there are only 10, and eventually, they are in high demand.

Is the responsibility of the State to be pointed out? Was there a lack of anticipation?

What I can say is that we exposed our fears in 2017 following this novelty. We feared the erasure of the social bond in our small town halls.

What do you expect from the State today in the face of these difficulties?

Already reinforcement in equipment, and therefore in collection devices. But this aspect should be partly dealt with. The Lot prefecture as far as we are concerned has already indicated that we could benefit from an additional DR if necessary. But behind these machines, it is necessary to mobilize personnel, and the costs of civil status remain the responsibility of the municipalities. So we are waiting for financial support to deal with this looming surplus of activity. We need to recruit. Even over a short and defined period, state aid seems necessary to us. Because the situation on the ground is becoming very difficult for our constituents. Many ask us to help them in sometimes complicated situations, but we find ourselves powerless. We cannot do more than what we are already doing.