Territorial collectivity

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A Territorial collectivity' (French: collectivité territoriale and sometimes collectivité locale) 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".

1 Categories
2 Other facts
3 Administration
4 Past and future collectivités territoriales
5 See also

[edit] Categories

Regions: There are 21 regions in metropolitan France and 4 ROM (overseas regions).
Departments : There are 96 departments in metropolitan France and 4 DOM (overseas departments).
Collectivités d'outre-mer (COM) : There are 6 COM, all overseas.
Provinces : There are 3 provinces, all in New Caledonia.
Communes : There are 36,782 communes, in all the French inhabited territories except Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin and Wallis and Futuna.

[edit] 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 pays (d'outre-mer) because its local legislative assembly (the congress) can rule using its own lois du pays.
Corsica 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 ; ROM are divided into DOM ; New Caledonia is divided into provinces ; départements, COM (except Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin and Wallis and Futuna), DOM and provinces all are divided into communes.
The commune of Poya is the only territorial entity belonging to two upper entities (provinces North and South).
Paris, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, La Réunion and Martinique 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 Polynesia is designated as a pays d'outre-mer, Mayotte as a collectivité départementale, Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin as collectivités, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon as a collectivité territoriale, and Wallis and Futuna as a territoire).

[edit] 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), a DOM, or that of Mayotte, 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. It is presided over by the président du conseil exécutif de Corse.
French Polynesia's assembly is called the assemblée de la Polynésie française. It 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. Theyr 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 administrateur supérieur des îles Wallis et Futuna.
New Caledonia's assembly is called a congrès. It is presided over by the président du gouvernement.

[edit] Past and future collectivités territoriales

The category of territoires d'outre-mer was suppressed under the constitutional reform of 28 march 2003. French Southern Territories 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 will vote in 2010 to change its status, and it may become a DOM.
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-Sud and Haute-Corse).
Guadeloupians and Martiniquais have refused to suppress their ROM and DOM in order to create a unique collectivité territoriale.