Les chambres régionales des comptes

TERRITORIAL POLYMORPHISM AUTHORIZES A FLEXIBLE PUBLIC ACTION

[1) the aiming rationnalisatrice of the reforms of territorial regrouping emanating from the center

The local political leader, in the realization of his projects of infrastructure, in order to answer the social and political request emanating from his fellow-citizens and to validate his political objectives, sees himself moreover equipping with various tools in order to rationalize his possibilities of investments.

He has in thus the possibility of joining in order to optimize his investments or of increasing his chances to obtain such or such infrastructure within the framework in particular of the regional planning because he has several tools allowing an efficient syndication : trade union with single or multiple vocation, intercommunality, community of communes or community D `agglomerations even country since 1999 and bills known as « Chevènement ».

France and its 36.000 communes, administrative heritage of the French revolution, is obliged to carry out many transverse projects, of vertical or horizontal nature, in order to be able to satisfy the multiple territorial ambitions.

The contracts of plans are often signed with the area because it is on this level that

be carried out planning, in particular through the activity of the regional Conference of installation and of the development of the territory, which gets opinions on the departmental and interdépartementaux diagrams, of the inter-commune charters relating to the realization of equipment or services can give place to conventions with the State, the department or the area.

Two examples are significant.

In Orleans, there is a community of communes of approximately 260.000 inhabitants and the administrative services of the town of Orleans work the hand in the hand with those of the general council of Loiret, however of a different political edge^21(*).

In Rouen, the creation of a community of agglomeration of 400.000 people approximately symbolizes the will of the mayor of miser on a strong inter-commune co-operation. Strong of 33 communes, this new form of syndication (afterwards, in particular, the existence of an inter-commune trade union with vocation multiple- SIVOM- whose existence allowed the realization of a Tram). This new form of cooperation allowed the realization of a processing center of water worn or the construction of a processing center of waste, and upsets the local behaviors related to the defense of small territories^22(*).

[2) A flexible public action

We thus find ourselves from the point of view of what some called one « flexible public action »^23(*) characterized by a logic of construction of public action. This emergence of the room as political prescriber and either like subscriber, within a local system of action giving up the system of the crossed regulation^24(*), split up the territories and restructured the stakes.

The local councillors become directly responsible for their political acts with the installation of administrative jurisdictions.

If the material aspect of the management of the infrastructures is in full upheaval, with in particular the possible recourse to the private groups which weaken the position of many services of the State^25(*), it is especially the administrative aspect of the local communities which disturb the political arena.

By giving an opinion public on the management of the local authorities, the magistrates of the regional rooms of the accounts take part in the recombining of the local system of action. The State is from now on in withdrawal but as we will see it, it remains deeply with the current from what occurs on these territories.

* ²¹ The World of February 2, 2001, p.11.

* ²² The world of February 3, 2001, p. 12.

* ²³ J.C. Thoenig, P. Duran, «the State and Territorial Public Management», French Review of Political Science, 4, 1996.

* ²⁴ J.C. Thoenig, Mr. Crozier, «  Regulation of the organized systems. The case of the local system of decision politico-administrative in France  », Re-examined French of sociology, 16 (1), January-March 1976.

* ²⁵ It is the case in particular civils servant of the equipment.