The members of the Committee on State Governance held a series of meetings with representatives of regional, inter-municipal and state authorities, as a part of their visit to the French Republic
12 December 2025, 12:49
In particular, meetings were held with representatives of the agglomerations of Reims, Montpellier, and Lyon, the Occitanie region, the Hérault prefecture, the Reims sub-prefecture, and the Regional Chamber of Accounts of Occitanie.
The meetings with representatives of the agglomerations of Reims, Montpellier, and Lyon were dedicated to a comprehensive study of the agglomeration institution, taking into account the specific features of this type of inter-municipal entity in each region and the concrete administrative and organisational needs of the municipalities that form part of them. The representatives of the agglomerations provided the delegation members with detailed information on the characteristics of the agglomerations, the structure and composition of their governing bodies, the decision-making procedures and the distribution of powers between the agglomeration authorities and the municipalities, the sources of agglomeration revenues, as well as practical experience in implementing major investment projects and delivering public services.
Representatives of the Hérault prefecture and the Reims sub-prefecture provided an in-depth overview of the role of the prefecture as the state’s representative at the departmental level. They outlined the powers of prefectures, the system of their establishment, the functions of the prefect and sub-prefect, the specific features of legality oversight of decisions adopted by basic-level local self-government bodies and the procedures for appealing such decisions, as well as the mechanism for distributing state subsidies among municipalities.
During the meeting with representatives of the Regional Chamber of Accounts of Occitanie, members of the delegation learned about its key functions. In particular, it was noted that the Chamber’s activities include the oversight of legality and proper accounting by municipalities, departments, regions, and public institutions; the assessment of the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their management; ensuring transparency in the use of local public funds; and serving as an important instrument for improving the quality of public service delivery and strengthening financial accountability at the local level.
Committee members V. Bezghin, T. Tasheva, O. Aliksiichuk, H. Bondar, and L. Bilozir emphasised the exceptional importance of the French experience for Ukraine, particularly in view of the need for legal regulation of the organisation and functioning of agglomeration territories in Ukraine, the development of inter-municipal cooperation, the establishment of an effective system of oversight of local self-government, and the mobilisation of European fund resources to ensure the sustainable development of Ukraine’s regions and communities.
The visit of the Committee members was organised within the framework of the “RELEVE” Project, implemented by the agency “Expertise France” with the support of the Government of France.