A nice article about the problems of being an enclave (in this case the
Moeuvres, Boursies & Doignies enclave of the French departement Nord in
Pas-de-Calais) can be read at
http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/vdn/journal/dossier/region/imbroglio/imbroglio1.shtml
The part about "enclave within enclave" I think we have to take with a
pinch of salt: acc. to my maps, the hamlet D�micourt is on the border
of the enclave, not in the centre of it.
For those not so fluent in French, I have made a rough translation
(please correct me if my translation is in any way wrong):
At the borders of � administrative � reality
THE ENCLAVE: Moeuvres, Boursies, and Doignies. Three villages in the
countryside to the east of Cambrai, that are engaged in a paradox that
they can�t do anything about. When you enter these three
municipalities, you step straight into the borders of administrative
reality. To the extent that you wonder whether there is one. The 984
inhabitants of these three villages are wondering, anyway.
First �bizarrerie�, as they say in the enclave, is their postal code:
62147. But the three municipalities are listed in the Nord phone book!
By the way, on the license number plates of the cars, there is� 59.
Second �bizarrerie�: the maintenance of the roads is done by the
departemental public works service of� Pas-de-Calais. However,
Moeuvres, Boursies, and Doignies are part of the Marcoing canton (which
is definitely in Nord), and of the Cambrai arrondissement (also in
Nord, according to the latest information).
Brussels doesn�t understand anymore
Third �bizarrerie�: in spite of all criteria, these three
municipalities are deprived of the benifits of �Objective 2� (a zone to
which European subsidies are allotted), although it was allotted to all
of the canton. Why? The cantons in Pas-de-Calais are not entitled to
it! �But we are telling you that we are in Nord�, the inhabitants of
the enclave want to cry. The file is already complicated seen from
Cambrai or from Lille, but from Brussels� They just float in a vacuum.
Although the situation possibly makes some smile, the inhabitants are
beginning to be fed up with it. One day, they are in Pas-de-Calais, the
next in Nord� and problems every day.
Problems like the ones experienced by a Tunisian resident, awaiting
important papers, and who has been compelled, for months on end and
without choice, to take part in a game of tennis played by the
administrations. Each one sends his ball into the court of the other.
And the ones of a person in charge of an association, who tries to link
it up with the national federation. In Paris, they don�t understand:
are you in Nord or in Pas-de-Calais? �Well, eh, on the one hand��
Not counting the parents that don�t understand anymore. Like this lady
who lives in Moeuvres, and whose son last year was a student in Arras.
The general council of Pas-de-Calais took charge of an extra health
insurance. Why? For being a first or second year student, receiving a
scholarship for higher education and� for living in Pas-de-Calais. The
postage stamp proves it! And although the Moeuvres postal code is
62147, the reply was that the municipality was considered to be in
Nord. So, it�s impossible to benefit from it.
And this recent letter from a hospital in Lille, received by Anne-Marie
Duchemin, mayor of Moeuvres. �I am writing you to inform you of the
difficulties that we encountered by handling the demand for medical aid
from Mr. X. As a matter of fact, the postal code of your municipality,
62147, has led us to the error in thinking that the patient is
dependent on the general council of Pas-de-Calais�, we can read. �We
have therefore sent a first demand of assistance to Pas-de-Calais, only
to find out that your municipality is in Nord. The fact that a postal
code beginning with 62 belongs to a municipality in Nord constitutes a
source of error that might be harmful�, concludes the personnel of the
hospital. One may believe it indeed.
And Mrs. Duchemin has already given up counting such examples. She
doesn�t have enough fingers.
An enclave within the enclave
But when creating the enclave, one has thought it to be good to add
another oddity to this already very disorienting delimitation. As a
fact, two thirds of the hamlet of D�micourt, which is in the centre of
the enclave, form part of Boursies, and thus Nord; the third third is
part of Hermies, i.e. Pas-de-Calais. As a consequence, the school is
part of Nord and the church of Pas-de-Calais� An enclave within the
enclave � whatever next.
David Cierniak
Febr. 17, 2001
La Voix du Nord
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Peter S.
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