Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole

Communauté Urbaine Marseille Provence Métropole
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Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
No. of communes	18
Established	July 7, 2000
Seat	Marseille
Government
– President	Eugène Caselli (PS)
– Term of office	2008-present
Area
– Total	604.75 km2 (233.5 sq mi)
Population (1999)
– Total	981,769 (81.3% in the city of Marseille)
– Density	1,623/km2 (4,203.6/sq mi)
Budget	approx. € 250 million (2004)¹
Website	www.marseille-provence.com
¹ After compensatory transfer of local tax euros to the communes of the Urban Community.

The Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole (French: Communauté Urbaine Marseille Provence Métropole) is the intercommunal structure gathering the city of Marseille (in Provence, southern France) and some of its suburbs.

The Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole only partly encompasses the metropolitan area of Marseille (see infobox at Marseille article for the metropolitan area) because the other independent communes of the metropolitan area (such as Aix-en-Provence) refused to join in with the city of Marseille, which is perceived as poor and unruly by the wealthier suburbs. Some other suburban communes (such as Aubagne, Gardanne, and Martigues) which are ruled by the French Communist Party have also refused to join in with Marseille which is ruled by the center-right UMP.

Consequently, the other parts of the metropolitan area have formed different intercommunal structures, such as:

• Community of Agglomeration of the Aix-en-Provence Country (Communauté d'agglomération du Pays d'Aix-en-Provence): 332,653 inhabitants
• Agglomeration community of Pays d'Aubagne et de l'Etoile (Communauté d'agglomération Pays d'Aubagne et de l'Etoile)
• Community of Agglomeration of the West of the Étang de Berre (Communauté d'agglomération de l'Ouest de l'Étang de Berre): 65,637 inhabitants, with Martigues in it
• etc.

As of the beginning of 2005, some communes within the Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole are talking of seceding from the Urban Community, complaining of heavy taxes imposed by the city of Marseille.

Member communes

• Allauch
• Carnoux-en-Provence
• Carry-le-Rouet
• Cassis
• Ceyreste
• Châteauneuf-les-Martigues
• La Ciotat
• Ensuès-la-Redonne
• Gémenos
• Gignac-la-Nerthe
• Marignane
• Marseille
• Plan-de-Cuques
• Roquefort-la-Bédoule
• Le Rove
• Saint-Victoret
• Sausset-les-Pins
• Septèmes-les-Vallons

External links

• Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole website