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Structures and competences

Local level :
35 498 municipalities

The municipal council (conseil municipal) is composed of councilors elected by direct universal suffrage for a six-year term. This deliberative assembly is headed by the mayor.

The mayor (maire) and his/her deputies represent the municipality’s executive branch. The mayor is elected by and from within the municipal council for a six-year mandate. He/ she is in charge of the municipal administration and is assisted by a deputy or deputies.

Since 2015, the municipality is the only level of local government which benefits from a general competence clause; they can intervene over and above their competences in all fields of local interest.

Since 2014, all municipalities are part of an intercommunal structure*. These structures have limited competences allocated to them by the municipalities.

The city of Paris is both a department and a municipality.

TRADITIONAL COMPETENCES

  • Registrar office functions
  • Organisation of elections on behalf of the State
  • Protection of local public order
  • Maintenance of municipal roads

CORE DECENTRALISED COMPETENCES

  • Urban planning
  • Education: nursery and elementary schools
  • Social action
  • Environment: water supply and sanitation
  • Culture
  • Sports

*There are different levels of intercommunal structures:

  • The metropolises (minimum population of 400,000 inhabitants)
  • The urban communities (minimum population of 250,000 inhabitants)
  • The conurbation communities (minimum population of 50,000 inhabitants)
  • The commune communities (minimum population of 15,000 inhabitants)
Intermediate level :
96 departments and 3 overseas departments

The county council (conseil départemental) is the department’s deliberative body. It is composed of members elected by direct universal suffrage for a six-year term. The council elects its president among its members and is composed of specialised committees. The county councils can manage part of the European structural funds.

The president (président) of the county council is the department’s executive authority. He/she is assisted by a permanent committee which elects vice-presidents.

The prefect (préfet) represents the government within the department. He/she is in charge of maintaining public order and holds police powers, providing him/her with the status of administrative police authority. The prefect is also in charge of monitoring the legality of the local governements’actions.

COMPETENCES

  • Social and health action: children, disabled people, seniors, social assistance
  • Urban and equipment planning
  • Education: colleges
  • Culture and tourism
  • Safety: departmental fire and emergency services
Regional authorities :
13 regions* and 3 overseas regions

The regional council (conseil régional) is the deliberative body of the region. It is composed of regional councilors elected by direct universal suffrage for a six-year term. The regional council elects its president from among its members. Since the adoption of the law of 27 January 2014, regional councils, instead of the state, can now manage part of the European structural funds.

The permanent committee (commission permanente) is the region’s deliberative body, which assists the council in the execution of some of its competences. The vice-presidents are members of the permanent commission.

The president (président) is elected from among the members of the regional council for a six-year period. He/she is the region’s executive authority and is at the head of the regional administration. The president’s functions are similar to those of the president of the county council;

The prefect (préfet) of the region is also the prefect of the department in which the main city of the region is located. He/she is responsible for the services devolved to the regions by the state. Other competences include relaying the government’s policy on major projects, monitoring the legality and compliance of budgetary acts, and preparing policies for the region’s economic, social and territorial development.

Among the 13 regions, Corsica has a specific status and represents a self-governing authority with specific institutions.

There are several types of overseas communities:

  • Overseas departments and regions (DOM and ROM)
  • Since December 2015, there are two additional overseas territories, which combine the competences of overseas departments and overseas local governements
  • Overseas communities
  • New Caledonia and the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF)

COMPETENCES

  • Economic development
  • Territorial development and planning
  • Transport
  • Education: secondary schools
  • Job training programmes
  • Culture
  • Tourism

*The law of 16 January 2015 has reduced the number of regions from 22 to 13. Six regions have kept their original boundaries, others have merged with one or two other regions. This new delimitation entered into force on 1 January 2016.

See:
HISTORY
REFORMS
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