Collectivité territoriale
Encyclopedia
A Territorial collectivity (, previously collectivité locale) within the French Republic
is the generic name for all subnational entities and dependent areas which have an elected local government
and (per article #72 of the French constitution) a "certain freedom of administration".
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
is the generic name for all subnational entities and dependent areas which have an elected local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
and (per article #72 of the French constitution) a "certain freedom of administration".
Categories
- RegionsRégions of FranceFrance is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
: There are 22 regions in metropolitan FranceMetropolitan FranceMetropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
and 5 ROM (overseas regions). - Departments : There are 96 departments in metropolitan France and 5 DOM (overseas departments).
- Collectivités d'outre-merCollectivité d'outre-merThe French overseas collectivities , like the French regions are first-order administrative divisions of France. The COMs include some former French overseas territories and other French overseas entities with a particular status, all of which became COMs by constitutional reform on 28 March...
(COM) : There are 5 COM, all overseas. - ProvincesAdministrative divisions of New CaledoniaNew Caledonia is divided into three provinces:*South Province . Provincial capital: Nouméa. Population: 164,113 inhabitants ....
: There are 3 provinces, all in New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. - Communes : There are 36,782 communes, in all the French inhabited territories except Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin and Wallis and FutunaWallis and FutunaWallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands , is a Polynesian French island territory in the South Pacific between Tuvalu to the northwest, Rotuma of Fiji to the west, the main part of Fiji to the southwest, Tonga to the southeast,...
.
Other facts
- New Caledonia is the only French local government which is not a collectivité territoriale. It has its own articles in the French constitution. Since it cannot be categorized, it sometimes unofficially is called a collectivité sui generis, but "collectivity" is not strictly-speaking a legal category. It is sometimes unofficially called a paysPays d'outre-merOverseas country or Overseas land is the new designation for the overseas collectivity of French Polynesia. French Polynesia was formerly an overseas territory until the constitutional reform on 28 March 2003 created the overseas collectivities...
(d'outre-mer) because its local legislative assembly (the congressPolitics of New CaledoniaNew Caledonia is an French overseas country with a system of government based on parliamentarism and representative democracy. The President of the Government is the head of government, and there is a multi-party system, with Executive power being exercised by the government. Legislative power is...
) can rule using its own lois du pays. - CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
is the only collectivité territoriale which belongs to no category, but its status is very close to that of régions. - The régions and Corsica are divided into départements ; ROMs are divided into DOMs ; New Caledonia is divided into provinces ; départements, COMs (except Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin and Wallis and Futuna), DOMs and provinces all are divided into communes.
- The commune of PoyaPoya, New CaledoniaPoya is a commune in New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The largest part of the commune lies in the North Province of New Caledonia, and a smaller part of the commune lies in the South Province, an odd situation resulting from the creation of New Caledonia's...
is the only territorial entity belonging to two upper entities (provinces NorthPolitics of New CaledoniaNew Caledonia is an French overseas country with a system of government based on parliamentarism and representative democracy. The President of the Government is the head of government, and there is a multi-party system, with Executive power being exercised by the government. Legislative power is...
and SouthPolitics of New CaledoniaNew Caledonia is an French overseas country with a system of government based on parliamentarism and representative democracy. The President of the Government is the head of government, and there is a multi-party system, with Executive power being exercised by the government. Legislative power is...
). - ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, French GuianaFrench GuianaFrench Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, GuadeloupeGuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
, MartiniqueMartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, MayotteMayotteMayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
, and La RéunionLa ReunionLa Reunion may refer to:* La Reunion , a communal settlement near present-day Dallas, Texas*La Réunion, Lot-et-Garonne, a town in the Lot-et-Garonne department of France*Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar...
are the only territorial entities belonging to two categories. Paris is both a département and a commune, and the others are both ROM and DOM. Paris therefore has one single president and one single assembly, while ROM / DOM each have two presidents and two assemblies. - Each COM has its own statutory law which gives it a particular designation (French PolynesiaFrench PolynesiaFrench Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
is designated as a pays d'outre-mer, Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin as collectivités, Saint-Pierre and MiquelonSaint-Pierre and MiquelonSaint Pierre and Miquelon is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France. It is the only remnant of the former colonial empire of New France that remains under French control....
as a collectivité territoriale, and Wallis and Futuna as a territoire).
Administration
- The assembly of a région and of a ROM is called a conseil régional. They are presided over by a président du conseil régional.
- The assembly of a département (except Paris) or that of a DOM is called a conseil général. They are presided over by a président du conseil général.
- The assembly of a province is called an assemblée de province. It is presided over by a président de l'assemblée de province.
- A commune's assembly (except that of Paris) is called a conseil municipal. It is presided over by a maire.
- Paris' assembly is called the conseil de Paris. It is presided over by the maire de Paris.
- Corsica's assembly is called the assemblée de Corse (Corsican Assembly). It is presided over by the President of the Regional Council.
- The Assembly of French Polynesia is presided over by the président de la Polynésie française.
- Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon's assemblies are called conseil territorial. They are presided over by a président du conseil territorial.
- Wallis and Futuna's assembly is called an assemblée territoriale. It is presided over by the Prefect.
- New Caledonia's assembly is called a congrès. It is presided over by the président du gouvernement.
Past and future collectivités territoriales
- The category of territoires d'outre-mer was suppressed under the constitutional reform of 28 March 2003. French Southern TerritoriesFrench Southern TerritoriesThe French Southern and Antarctic Lands , full name Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands , consist of:...
is still a TOM, but this is now a particular designation, not a category. This uninhabited territory no longer is a collectivité territoriale. - Mayotte, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, used to be collectivités territoriales belonging to no category (but with a status close to that of a DOM), sometimes unofficially called collectivité territoriale à statut particulier, or collectivité territoriale d'outre-mer.
- Mayotte held a vote in 2009 to change its status, and became a ROM in 2011.
- New Caledonia will vote between 2014 and 2019 to change its status, and it may become a COM.
- Corsicans have refused to suppress the two départements of Corsica (Corse-du-SudCorse-du-SudCorse-du-Sud is a French département composed of the southern part of the island of Corsica.- History :The department was formed on 15 September 1975, when the Corse department was divided into Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud...
and Haute-CorseHaute-CorseHaute-Corse is a French department. It constitutes the northern part of the island of Corsica.- History :The department was formed on 15 September 1975, when the department of Corse was divided into Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud...
). - Guadeloupians and Réunionnais have refused to suppress their ROM and DOM in order to create a unique collectivité territoriale.