Prefects of France - Roles

Roles

The main role of the prefects are defined in article 72 of the Constitution of France:

In the local governments of the Republic, the representative of the State, representing each member of the Government, is in charge of national interests, of administrative checks, and the respect of Law.

The exact role and attributions are defined in decrees, most notably decrees of 1964, 1982, 2004, each replacing the preceding one.

The prefect of the département containing the chef-lieu de région is also the préfet de région, or the prefect of the région.

Prefects operate under the Minister of the Interior. Their main missions include.

• representing the state to local governments;
• security
  • the coordination of police and gendarmerie forces;
  • handling major crises;
  • emergency defence procedures;
• safety
  • the decision to evacuate zones facing natural disasters; the organisation of relief operations;
• responsibility for official documents, such as
  • the production of identity documents, including identity cards and passports;
  • the issuing of driving licences, and their administrative withdrawal in case of certain offenses;
  • the application of immigration rules;
• ensuring respect for legality: officials working for the prefect verify the legality of decisions made by local governments and submit doubtful cases to administrative courts or to financial auditing courts.

Prefects may issue administrative orders in areas falling within the competency of the national government, including general safety. For instance, they may prohibit the use of certain roads without special tyres in times of snow. The prohibition on smoking or leaving the motor running while filling the fuel tank of a motor vehicle is another example of a matter typically decided by a prefectoral administrative order.

On official occasions, prefects wear uniforms.