France faces its unfounded fears of divisions

The APROFED association is coming back to you this weekend in continuation of its article of September 1, 2025 relating to the IFOP institute survey revealing that 71% of French people would be in favor of France becoming federal (cf. 71% of French people in favor of France becoming federal – APROFED ). So why are French leaders inexorably holding back in the face of this indubitable evidence that the population is demanding today?

We asked the AI ​​why the state did not want to share power with its regions and what would lead it to do so, particularly through a federal system. The AI ​​gave us the following answer:

The history of France plays an essential role in the way in which the State conceives its relationship with the regions.

1. A centralizing tradition inherited from history

• • The Capetian Monarchy : Since the Middle Ages, the kings of France have sought to reduce the power of the great lords and the provinces in order to build a unified kingdom. Paris gradually became the center of decision-making.

• • The Ancien Régime : despite certain local autonomies (provinces with privileges, provincial parliaments, regional languages), the absolute monarchy reinforced the role of the royal administration and centralization around the sovereign.

• • The French Revolution (1789) : a key moment. The revolutionaries wanted to break down local particularities, perceived as threats to national unity. They created the departments, geometrically divided to erase the legacy of the provinces. The slogan: “one people, one law, one state” .

• • Napoleon and the modern state : the hierarchical administrative organization (prefects, mayors, civil servants) gave France a structure where Paris controlled the entire territory.

• • 19th and 20th centuries : even with the Republic, the centralizing logic remained strong, for fear of separatism (Brittany, Corsica, Alsace, Occitania).

Result: French political culture still associates national unity with a strong central power.

2. Why the State is still hesitant to share power

• • Fear of separatism : in France, giving more powers to the regions is sometimes perceived as a risk of “balkanization” (especially in Corsica or overseas).

• • A Jacobin conception of the State : the idea that the Republic must guarantee equality by standardizing rules throughout the territory.

• • A strong political tradition : the senior civil service (ENA, major state bodies) is trained in a centralized Parisian culture.

• • A cultural relationship with universality : France prefers “equality of citizens” (through national law) rather than the recognition of “local differences” (as in Germany or Spain).

3. What could change the game

• • European construction : the EU encourages the role of the regions (structural funds, cross-border cooperation).

• • Local democratic demand : citizens want more proximity in decision-making (mobility, ecology, employment, culture).

• • The success of other models : Germany (federalism), Spain (autonomy), Italy (regions with special status) show that sharing power does not necessarily lead to disunity.

• • Crisis management : The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the limits of overly rigid centralization, which has rekindled debates on decentralization.

• • Economic pressure : giving more tax power to regions could make them more dynamic.

 In summary:
French history explains the current strong centralization, because since the Revolution the State has wanted to protect itself from internal divisions. But the evolution of societies, Europe and local demands could push France to grant more real power to its regions.

Let’s compare France with two neighboring countries that have made very different choices:

– Germany (assumed federalism) shows that stable federalism can strengthen efficiency without threatening unity,

– Spain (regionalized, semi-federal but fragile state) illustrates the risk of tensions if autonomy is poorly balanced,

– and France remains centralized for fear of divisions

So what would lead France to adopt a federal system and remove its fears of division? Here are some answers from the AI:

1. Defuse the fear of division

• • Rethinking the historical narrative : Emphasizing that federalism is not about division, but about another way of unifying. Germany, Switzerland, and the United States show that a federal state can be very strong and cohesive.

• • Show republican continuity : present federalism as an extension of the ideals of 1789 (popular sovereignty, autonomy of communities, equality in diversity) rather than a rupture.

2. Promote the concrete benefits of federalism

• • Local efficiency : highlighting that regions or departments with more powers can adapt public policies to local realities (health, transport, environment).

• • Lightening Paris : a federal state allows for the central administration to be relieved, while strengthening proximity to citizens.

• • National balance : well-thought-out federalism reduces territorial inequalities because it gives regions more tools to act.

3. Gradually build federal culture

• • Strengthen existing structures : France already has the beginnings of decentralization (regions, metropolitan areas, overseas communities). Their budgetary and legislative powers should be expanded.

• • Experiment : Allow certain regions (e.g., Corsica, Alsace, Brittany) to experiment with expanded skills. Success would serve as a model.

• • Civic education : introducing a positive vision of territorial diversity and subsidiarity into teaching.

4. Ensure unity safeguards

• • Clear Constitution : a French federal state should have a fundamental text affirming the unity of the Republic and solidarity between territories.

• • Solidarity mechanisms : financial transfers between rich and poor regions, national redistribution policies.

• • Federal chambers : a Senate transformed into a true chamber of regions would give a strong voice to the territories without threatening unity.

5. Changing political representations

• • Overcoming the fear of separatism : Emphasize the difference between autonomy and independence. A federated region has powers, but remains within a common framework.

• • Dialogue with local elected officials : build the project with mayors, regional presidents, citizens, to avoid it being seen as an “imposition from above”.

• • Foreign examples : rely on the models of Germany and Switzerland (close neighbors, culturally comparable) to show that federalism is not a threat.

In summary: getting France to adopt a federal system would require cultural and symbolic work (changing the historical narrative), a gradual process (reinforcing decentralization step by step), and institutional guarantees of solidarity and unity .

It should be noted that of the ten or so peoples that currently make up mainland France, namely the Bretons, the Flemish, the Franks, the Basques, the Corsicans, the Occitans, the Burgundians (Arpitan), the Alsatians, the Catalans and the Monegasques, few have secessionist tendencies. The majority, as in the overseas territories, are supporters of autonomy. The independence movements are mostly the result of the centralizing state’s rejection of granting this autonomy, as is the case in Spain or the United Kingdom.

We wish you a good read and remind you that federalism is the only solution to reconcile unity in diversity.