Assembly of the Departments of France

Départements de France (DF), also known as the Assemblée des départements de France (ADF), is a pluralist association created in 1946 that brings together the presidents of 103 member authorities — 95 departments and 8 territorial collectivities with departmental competences. It is the representative body of the French departmental level of government, acting as the collective voice of the country's conseils départementaux in their dealings with the State, Parliament and public authorities. The association was founded on 11 September 1946 as the Association des Présidents de Conseils Généraux (APCG) by Aimé Malécot, president of the Conseil général de la Loire, and Max Hymans, an engineer and jurist. Governed by the French law of 1901 on associations, it initially installed itself in the premises of the Association des maires de France (AMF). Its founding statutes set out two goals: to study, from economic, administrative, technical and financial points of view, all questions concerning the administration of departments and related public establishments and their relations with public authorities; and to create bonds of solidarity among all the conseils généraux of France. In 1999 the APCG became the ADF, and it now operates under the brand name Départements de France. DF's missions are to relay the problems encountered in the field and represent the departments before public authorities and Parliament; to serve as a resource centre informing departments about reforms affecting their responsibilities; to be a place for exchanging experiences and good practices among elected officials and departmental staff; to confront ideas and build common positions on departmental missions and major national issues; to train elected officials and their collaborators through the Institut de formation des élus territoriaux (IFET); and to promote the role and action of the departments among citizens. The association is structured around a Commission exécutive, a Bureau permanent and 15 thematic commissions, and it holds an annual Assemblée générale. It has been chaired since 2021 by François Sauvadet, president of the conseil départemental of Côte-d'Or and a former minister, and has been directed since 2021 by Bernard Schmeltz. Its majority group of the Right, Centre and Independents is chaired by Nicolas Lacroix, president of the conseil départemental of Haute-Marne, while the minority Left group is chaired by Jean-Luc Gleyze, president of the conseil départemental of Gironde. DF is active on major national dossiers affecting departments, including local finances, social action, fire and rescue services (SDIS), and territorial organisation. It publishes press releases and positions, runs the Prix Lamartine and other initiatives, and maintains a partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) around the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. On 22 January 2020 it admitted the German Land of Saarland as an honorary member, recognising that border region's efforts to promote Francophonie and multilingualism under its France strategy launched in 2014.

The organisation now known as Départements de France was founded on 11 September 1946 as the Association des Présidents de Conseils Généraux (APCG). Its architect was Aimé Malécot, a professional architect and president of the Conseil général de la Loire, assisted by Max Hymans, an engineer and jurist whose political career had been disrupted by the Second World War. The two men shared partisan and geographic affinities and a common ambition: to create an association bringing together the presidents of the departments of France. Governed by the law of 1901, the APCG installed itself in the premises of the Association des maires de France (AMF). Its first article defined two purposes: the study, from economic, administrative, technical and financial points of view, of all questions interesting the administration of departments and the public establishments attached to them and their relations with the public authorities; and the creation of bonds of solidarity among all the conseils généraux of France. The APCG was therefore not merely a place for socialising or informing conseillers généraux; it aimed to become the privileged interlocutor of the public authorities on all matters relating to departments, allowing conseillers généraux to be represented in various bodies and institutionalising the presence of departmental interests. The association's development was closely tied to the history of French decentralisation. The law of 10 August 1871 had already made the department a territorial collectivity in its own right, with the Conseil général receiving a general competence to settle affairs of departmental interest; its members were elected for six years by universal suffrage and renewed by half every three years. The Second Republic had introduced election of conseillers généraux by universal suffrage on 3 July 1848, one elected per canton. But it was the decentralisation laws of 1982 and 1983 that turned the department into a territorial collectivity in full exercise: prefectoral tutelage was replaced by legality control, the President of the Conseil général exercised departmental executive power, and the conseils généraux received new competences in social action, commercial and fishing ports, school transport and the management of collèges. Under the presidency of Jean Puech (1989–2004), the APCG — renamed ADF in 1999 — developed profoundly, carried by the decentralisation laws of the 1980s and seeking to participate in a new wave of decentralisation. Further legislative steps expanded departmental responsibilities. The law of 18 December 2003 entrusted departments, from 1 January 2004, with responsibility for and management of the revenu minimum d'insertion (RMI, replaced in June 2009 by the revenu de solidarité active, RSA) and organised statistical monitoring and evaluation. The law of 13 August 2004 constituted a new act of decentralisation. Over the following decades the association continued to speak for departments on local finances, social action, fire and rescue services, and territorial organisation. On 22 January 2020 the ADF admitted the German Land of Saarland as an honorary member, a gesture recognising the border region's efforts to promote Francophonie and multilingualism under its France strategy launched in 2014. Since 2021 the association has been chaired by François Sauvadet, president of the conseil départemental of Côte-d'Or and a former minister, and directed by Bernard Schmeltz. It now operates under the brand name Départements de France and represents 103 member authorities — 95 departments and 8 territorial collectivities with departmental competences — through a Commission exécutive, a Bureau permanent and 15 thematic commissions, meeting annually in Assemblée générale.

• 2021

  François Sauvadet becomes president and Bernard Schmeltz becomes director of Départements de France.

• 2020

  On 22 January 2020, the ADF admits the German Land of Saarland as an honorary member.

• 2004

  The law of 13 August 2004 constitutes a new act of decentralisation.

• 2003

  The law of 18 December 2003 entrusts departments with the RMI from 1 January 2004.

• 1999

  The APCG becomes the ADF (Assemblée des départements de France).

• 1989

  Jean Puech becomes president of the APCG (1989–2004), a period of profound development for the association.

• 1982

  The decentralisation laws of 1982 and 1983 turn the department into a territorial collectivity in full exercise, replacing prefectoral tutelage with legality control.

• 1946

  On 11 September 1946, Aimé Malécot and Max Hymans found the Association des Présidents de Conseils Généraux (APCG).

• 1871

  The law of 10 August 1871 makes the department a territorial collectivity in its own right; the Conseil général receives a general competence for departmental affairs.

• 1848

  On 3 July 1848, the Second Republic introduces election of conseillers généraux by universal suffrage, one elected per canton.

• 1790

  The Constituent Assembly divides France into 83 departments, organised around chef-lieux, with administration entrusted to a Conseil général whose members are designated by central power.

The pluralist, representative voice of French departmental councils, defending the diversity of France and acting for human and territorial solidarity.

• Annual Assemblée générale

  DF meets once a year in general assembly around its president.

• 15 thematic commissions

  Commissions charged with reflections on subjects in their fields and proposing positions to DF bodies; they meet three to four times a year.

• Institut de formation des élus territoriaux (IFET)

  Training arm for elected officials and their collaborators.

• Prix Lamartine

  A prize run by DF.

1. 1Accueil - Départements de France - AFdepartements.fr
2. 2Histoire - Départements de France - AFdepartements.fr
3. 3Départements de France appelle à un changement des règles de financement des Services départementaux d’incendie et de secoursdepartements.fr
4. 4Assembly of the departments of Francewikidata.org
5. 5Assemblée des départements de Francefr.wikipedia.org