Each political power has at its disposal an administrative structure to implement its decisions and satisfy the collective needs through the services or public firms. The State assures the equal access of every citizen to the public services. State administrations Placed under the authority of the Prime minister and of each of the ministries, they are composed of central administrations and of devolved services spread on the whole territory. * On a central level: the central administrations. The missions of national character are confided to them. * On a local level: the territorial administrations. They assure the relations between the State and the territorial communities. Territorial communities' administrations Each territorial community has at its disposal an autonomous administrative service to put into practice the decisions taken by the elected. The regional council possesses the administrative services of the region. The general council possesses the departmental administrative services. The municipal administration possesses the municipal services. Administration resources Every administration has juridical, budgetary, material and human resources. * Juridical: it flays down the mode of implementation of laws and regulations. * Budgetary: it gives necessary orders for executing a budget. * Material: it uses offices and material. * Human: it manages the state-employee's body which is put on its disposal. Central administration There are different administrative services spread on the French territory (taxes, education, police...). This services are centralized, organized and coordinated by a central administration. The administration obeys on hierarchical principle. * The Prime minister is the administration's chief. He/She defines the number, the designation and the role of each ministry. * Each ministry is responsible for the implementation of the governmental decisions in its domain. He/She organises the services of its ministry, which comprises a cabinet and specialised directions. * The minister of Interior is charged of: - the general administration of the territory; he/she exercises its activity on the whole country through the prefects; - the local communities; he/she draws up the texts that allow the realisation of a minimum unity in the local regulations He is a guarantor of the regularity of the elections on the whole territory, and he assures the management of the body of prefects and prefectures' staff. * On a minister's request, the General inspection of the Administration carries out control missions of all central and devolved services on the territory. Territorial administration The territorial administration is assured by : * the devolved servicesof different ministries, which are directed by the prefect; this services are organised in regional, departmental and district areas; * the administrations of the local communities (region, department and town councils); they possess a power of decision that allows them to have administrating liberty within the framework of Sate laws. French administrative divisions * National territory: it comprises France metropolitan, 4 overseas departments and 4 territories. * Region: local community that groups together several departments. France has 26 regions (of which 1 territorial community with particular status: Corsica and 4 overseas regional). * Department: administrative division od the French territory. France has 100 departments of which 4 overseas. * Canton: territorial division of the district. There is a police station and a tax office in the county town. France has 3 839 cantons of which 124 overseas. * Municipality: basic unity of the territorial division. France has 36 677 municipalities of which 183 overseas. Under authority of the minister of Interior, the national police and the civil security contribute to the security of citizens and goods, to the surveillance of the territory and frontiers. The minister of Interior has to maintain the republican order and protect the people and the goods. The protection of life and goods is in the domain of the Direction of the civil security. The national police has competence in the county-towns of the department and in the urban municipalities. Police officers of the active services * Police captains: they assume important responsibilities in different police services (public security, criminal investigation department, general information, territory surveillance). * Police lieutenants: they are in charge of judicial inquiry in particular and of information and surveillance missions in different police services. * Peace officers (police lieutenants): they take the command of officer corps and of policemen responsible for running the police services (urban corps, police headquarter and CRS). * Patrolmen: they assure the protection of people and goods. They record the violations of the law and regulations and they watch over the maintenance of the public order. They can be promoted sergeant or lance sergeant. In order to carry out all administrative tasks, the ministry recruits administrative secretaries, office clerks and agents. National defence The defence has for goal to assure all the time, in every circumstances and against all kinds of aggression, the security and the integrity of the territory as well as the protection of the population. It has to remain flexible in order to adapt itself to any form of threat. It has to be able to assure the continuity of the economic life. The responsibles of the politics of the defence are: the President of the Republic, the Parliament and the Government (Prime minister, minister of the Defence). Territorial organisation of the Defence The metropolitan territory is divided into three military regions of the Defence (RMD) identical for the army, air force and police force: Atlantic, North-East, Mediterranean. The territory is divided into two coastal regions: Atlantic region, Mediterranean region. In each military area of the defence, a prefect of the defence zone is in charge of the civil and the economic defence. French Armed forces The strength of the French armed forces (army, air forces, navy, police forces) is about 4400 000 civilians and solders. Army Strength: 134,000 of which 25,750 civilians. Organisation: -mechanized armoured corps; -force of fast action, military land force, overseas force. Air forces Strength: 65,000 of which 8,000 civilians. Organisation: -the strategic air forces together with the Mirage 2000 and the ASMP missiles (air-to-ground intermediate-range) form the strategic nuclear forces; -the air defence in charge of the air space; -combat air force; -military air transport. National navy Strength: 54,659 of which 10,527 civilians. Organisation: -submarine forces; -naval action forces; -naval aviation; -marine fusiliers and commandos for the protection of the sensitive installations. Police force Strength: about 100,000 men and women. The police force comprises several subdivisions: -the departmental police forces, in charge of the public security and judicial inquiries; -the mobile police forces, they constitute a reserve which is on the government's disposal for the maintenance and order; -the specialised formations: republican guard, coastal police forces, air transport, weapons transport. Ministry of National Education The Ministry sets up the educational politics of the government, defines the pedagogical objectives, works out the programs and diplomas, assures the staff recruitment and training. The mediator The mediator strives to sort out the individual situations spring from the faulty functioning of a public service. The institution was founded in 1973. The mediator has the power of recommendation and injunction. The interdepartmental centres for administrative information (CIRA), directly attached to the general secretary of the Government, constitute a service of the Prime minister whose mission is to inform the public on the following topics: local affaires and health, competition and consumption, customs, national education, employment and professional training, equipment, taxation, civil service, interior and local communities, justice, social security, work, finances, urbanism and accommodation. Contact: 0 821 08 09 10 (0,12 eu/min)
Source: French institutions Vth Republic (Practical references)
