ABSTRACT

The law of 2 March 1982, concerning the rights and liberties of municipalities, departments and regions, could be considered the starting point of a ‘new decentralization’ of the entire French administrative system. The current regional framework has gradually evolved since the beginning of the Fifth Republic. The 1982 laws were therefore a mixture of continuity and change and created a third level of authority. Article 59 of the law of 2 March stipulated that regions would effectively become fully-fledged collectivites territoriales when their councils convened for the first time after direct elections by universal suffrage. From 1972 to 1982, the regions enjoyed limited functions and powers, which were largely a complement to those of the other public authorities. The 1982 laws gave local authorities more opportunities to take part in economic decision-making, but they gave the regions the leading role.