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Video length: 2 min
Savoie: the 20-year fight for the town of Saint-Paul to regain its name
Savoie: the 20-year fight for the town of Saint-Paul to regain its name – (France 2)
Since the 2000s, the town of Saint-Paul-sur-Yenne, in Savoie, has been the subject of an administrative error. Its name had been simplified by INSEE, causing many hiccups.
Six municipalities will adopt a new name from January 2024 in France. The causes of the change of identity? A name that is too long, a homonym, or the wish to find its original name as in Saint-Paul-sur-Yenne (Savoie). About twenty years ago, INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) made a mistake in reducing its name to Saint-Paul. For years, the municipality has been campaigning to correct this administrative error.
A confusion between the different Saint-Pauls
Around fifty towns are called Saint-Paul in France. Without the “sur-Yenne” precision, errors were frequent: “We could have grants going to another Saint-Paul, and then mail which could also get lost and people who were looking for civil status and who did not call the right Saint-Paul”explains the mayor of the town of 750 inhabitants, Laurence Boiron (SE).
Among our sources
Information note from the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion on the legal procedure for changing the name of municipalities
General code of local authorities and rules applicable for the change of name of municipalities
Non-exhaustive list
