Representation:
The Association of French Regions (ARF)[1], the Assembly of French Departments (ADF)[2] and the Association of French Mayors (AMF)[3] act as representatives of their respective level of government vis-à-vis the other authorities: national and European.
Information and consultation:
During the legislative process, information is provided to the local, intermediate and regional authorities (LIRAs) to the extent that information is published on the Parliament's website.
Institutional consultation procedures are established by means of law. They generally concern financial matters and affairs having a local/regional impact. Nevertheless, the opinions provided are merely consultative.
Sometimes, the central Government also informally consults the associations of LIRAs (ARF, ADF and AMF) on any project relating to them.
Prior to 2019, local municipalities were responsible for managing electoral registration. The electoral roll management reform approved in 2016 and implemented in 2019, centralizes all electoral lists (répertoire électoral unique) via the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE)[4]. However, the municipality mayor or local authority remains responsible for confirming whether an electorate is registered in the municipality or should no longer be registered for loss of communal attachment.
The INSEE is in charge of updating the single electoral directory based on the information it receives. It continuously updates by considering the removal of deceased voters as well as new registration of young adults and people who have newly acquired French nationality by attaching them to their municipality of residence. Registration applications from electors are now received and processed throughout the year without deadline. The mayor, or the consular authority abroad, makes the decisions of registration or deletion of the voters for loss of communal attachment.
Coordination:
The Minister of the Interior (ministère de l'Intérieur) is in charge of regional and local affairs. Its General Directorate for LIRAs (direction générale des collectivités territoriales, DGCL ) coordinates the preparation and monitoring of contractual procedures between the State and LIRAs, such as State-Regions Contracts (contrat de plan États-régions) by which the State and the Regions define common policies.
Prefects act as focal points in the relationship between the State, the Regions, the Departments and the Municipalities. The central Government appoints one Prefect (préfet) in each Department in charge of supervising local authorities as well as ensuring that they respect the national interest and comply with the law. The regional Prefect – the Prefect of the Department where the regional capital is established – is in charge of the regional devolved services of the State; (s)he disseminates the government's policies; (s)he controls the legality and the respect for budgetary rules with regard to regional acts; (s)he chairs the committee on regional administration (comité de l'administration régionale, CAR) which brings together the prefects of the Departments and the head of the devolved regional services of the State; (s)he prepares the policies on economic and social development as well as on planning.
The Local Finance Committee (comité des finances locales, CFL) defends local, intermediate and regional financial interests and is in charge of harmonising central, regional, intermediate and local opinions in this matter.
Horizontal coordination exists at all levels of governance and is ensured through ARF, ADF and AMF.
The central, regional, intermediate and local authorities also coordinate during the EU decision-making process: The General Secretariat for European Affairs (Secrétariat général aux affaires européennes – SGAE), which is under the direct responsability of the Prime minister, prepares the French positions on EU draft acts. The SGAE can bring together the members of the associations of local, intermediate and regional representatives in charge of European Affairs on a regular basis.
[1] Association des régions de France (http://regions-france.org/)
[2] Assemblée des départements de France (http://www.departements.fr/)
[3] L'Association des maires de France et des présidents d'intercommunalité (AMF) https://www.amf.asso.fr/
[4] https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/3539086
[5] https://sgae.gouv.fr/sites/SGAE/accueil.html
