2000
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Catherine Grémion, « Les paradoxes du corps préfectoral », Revue française d'administration publique (documents), ID : 10670/1.bff3b7
The Paradoxes of the Prefectoral Body There are two dates which stand out in the history of the institution of the prefect during the Fifth Republic. First, the reform of 1964 had the objective of giving the prefect an authority over State services at local level. In fact, as ‘holder of all ministers’powers’, the prefect in practice would be brought into confrontation with heads of service from the different ministries, strengthened by delegations from their various ministers. This reform also created a new organisation, the region, at the head of which is a regional prefect, who is prefect of the department’s territorial administrative centre. Secondly, decentralisation in 1982, while strengthening the prefect’s powers over State services, has radically altered the content of its activities at the heart of administrative territories : prefects are no longer their guardian nor the executive of departments and regions : they must reposition themselves in response to new local authorities elected by universal suffrage, while the instability of their office over time does them a disservice.