EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – Christophe Barthès, the new mayor of Carcassonne, tears down the European flag… but received tens of thousands of euros from the EU for his agricultural operation

Barely elected mayor of Carcassonne, National Rally MP Christophe Barthès wanted to make a strong statement. In a video posted on his social media accounts this Sunday, March 29, the new mayor of Carcassonne is seen removing the European Union flag from the town hall's facade, sending an unambiguous message: "Out with the European flags, make way for the French flags." This deliberate symbolic gesture has sparked controversy, especially since, according to our information, the farm he manages has received tens of thousands of euros in subsidies in recent years from the Common Agricultural Policy, largely funded by the European Union.

A strong, symbolic, and deliberate political gesture. But one that raises questions in light of the information we are revealing today. Because behind this sovereignist stance, a much more discreet reality emerges: the farm run by the mayor has received significant sums in recent years from… European funds.

EARL Barthès, a farm based in Trèbes specializing in cereal and vineyard cultivation, has indeed benefited from numerous subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy. These subsidies, primarily funded by the EAFRD (European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund), constitute a cornerstone of agricultural income.

Our calculations, based on the financial data obtained by Entrevue, are conclusive.

In recent years alone, the operation run by the new National Rally mayor of Carcassonne has received:

• €32,912 in 100% European aid (EAGF alone) between 2023 and 2024
• And several tens of thousands of euros more between 2015 and 2022, as part of EU + State co-financed aid

In total, over about ten years, these are over €100,000 in public aidLargely of European origin, these funds were allocated to the new mayor's farm. European subsidies are central to the agricultural model.

These subsidies are not insignificant. They form the very backbone of the French agricultural model.

The majority of the funds received by EARL Barthès come from clearly identified mechanisms:

• basic income support, paid per hectare to guarantee the viability of farms
• redistributive payments, intended to support small and medium-sized enterprises
• environmental aid, conditional on climate-friendly agricultural practices
• coupled aid, targeting certain productions deemed strategic

In other words, this funding aims to support farmers, stabilize their incomes and support the ecological transition of the sector.

In the facts, This aid is financed by the European Union budget., then redistributed in France by the national authorities. For many farms, they represent an essential part of their annual income.

In the case of the farm run by Christophe Barthès, they are part of a continuum: year after year, CAP payments appear as regular support, sometimes exceeding €15,000 per year.

The contrast is therefore striking.

On one side, a newly elected mayor who is symbolically breaking with the European Union by removing its flag from the town hall. On the other, a farm that has continuously benefited from funding from that same Union.

This contradiction will undoubtedly fuel local and national political debate, at a time when the question of sovereignty, European funding and the coherence of elected officials is more than ever at the heart of tensions.