Question :

FRANCE

1) In which context do you exercise your functions ?

Unitary State

2) List the different administrative constituencies, from the biggest (region?) to the smallest (municipality?)

Constituency 1 : 21 régions
Constituency 2 : 97 départements
Constituency 3 : 36000 local authorities
Constituency 4 : (functional groupings)

3) Does the STR represent :

The central State (unitarian or federal)

4) Are there on the territory other state representatives or territorial administrations (subordinate to the central State, the federal state or the regional government) not connected with the STR ?

Yes
Comments : since 2010 : the Regional Health Agency

5) What is the STR's administrative constituency called ?

Région - Département

6) Does this constituency correspond to that of elected authorities ?

Yes

7) What is the STR called ?

Préfet

8) How many STRs are there in office ? (if necessary, specify by territorial level)

97 (of which 7are also préfets de région) + 7 delegate préfets to security + 6 to equality of chances

9) Is the STR's status :

Uniform across the country

10) Do the STRs in office come from :

public service
other : exceptionally

11) Does the STR usually change in case of goverment alternation ?

12) By whom is the STR appointed ?

Others ? Who ? : The President of the Republic
After the Council of Ministers

13) Office period ?

revocable at any time
but an average of 3 years is generally sought

14) Has the STR the status of a civil servant ?

Yes

15) Can he enter the profession by competition ?

Yes

16) Can he make a career as STR ?

Yes

17) Are there various ranks for the STR ? Which ?

Yes
Comments : 2 : Préfet de région - Préfet de département

18) Number of direct colleagues managed by the STR (taking all ranks into account)

more than 200

19) Number of colleagues placed under the hierarchical authority of the STR ? (including in different services but dependent on him)

more than 1000

20) Are other STRs hierarchically attached to him/her ?

Yes
Comments : Since the 2010 reform

21) Has the STR an assistant (likely to deputize for him) ?

Yes

22) If you have an organization chart of the services of the STR, please attach it (pdf 10Mo max.).

No document attached.

23) Enumerate the STR's appropriate competences

Competence 1 : Security
Competence 2 : Law and order
Competence 3 : Crisis management
Competence 4 : Administrative police
Competence 5 : Country planning
Competence 6 : Social cohesion - Control of legality

24) Enumerate the competences shared with other State services

Competence 1 : No competences shared

25) Enumerate the competences shared with services placed under the authority of elected authorities

Competence 1 : No competences shared

26) Please communicate your assessment of the balance of the various responsibilities of the STR, by indicating the functions which seem to you the most central to the role.

1 : Security
2 : Law and order
3 : Crisis management
4 : Administrative police

27) For every field of expertise, please mark the corresponding box

Role of the STR	No role or occasional	Limited role	Important role
Economy		x
Employment			x
Social action		x
Housing			x
Town planning		x
Environment			x
Town and country development			x
Civil security			x
Law and order			x
Health	x
Education	x
Culture	x
Registry office - Naturalization			x
Immigration			x
Jurisdiction	x
Penal	x

28) The STR has authority on :

most services of the State

29) Is the STR responsible for law and order ?

Yes

30) Is the STR responsible for the civil security ?

Yes

31) Is he responsible for the control of the legality of the acts of decentralized communities ?

Yes

32) For the texts he considers illegal, can the STR

only transfer them to the judge

33) Does the STR dispose of :

a power of replacement for certain actions or in certain circumstances
Comments : in matters of administrative police

34) Does the STR control the use of public funds in his/her district (including the credits resulting from European funds)

Yes

35) Is the STR in charge of allocating the State public credits ?

	Yes	No	Comments
Decision-making power	x
Power shared with another authority		x
Proposition power		x
Consultative notice		x
Intervention of the STR	x

36) If the STR has the decision-making power for allocating State public funds, which is the volume of the corresponding credits ?

less than 10 million euros : at the departmental level
100 to 500 million euros : at the regional level

37) Is the STR in charge of allocating the European funds ?

	Yes	No	Comments
Decision-making power	x
Power shared with another authority	x		Pdt of Regional Council
Proposition power		x
Consultative notice		x
Intervention of the STR	x

38) Is the STR affected by a reform of the territorial organization ?

39) Is the STR affected by a reform of financial or budgetary reform ?

Yes

40) Have the STR's function or status changed recently or will they soon change ?

Yes
Comments : in the relations between regional and departmental prefects

41) You may if you wish give here additional observations or comments

The prefectoral institution exists in France since 1800 on the basis of an organisation of similar inspiration created by the moçnarchy. It has adapted to the democratic evolution of the 19th century and to the decentralisation of the 20th century. It is a relay of the State and of the local authorities seldom questioned. Its role in times of crisis is indisputable and corresponds to the French political culture.