Decentralization in France: experience for Ukraine

Abstract

The article analyzes the processes of decentralization of power in France. France is one of the few European countries that have accumulated considerable experience in the field of decentralization of public administration through the expansion of the powers and responsibilities of local governments.Assessing the vast experience of territorial reforms accumulated in France for almost three and a half decades, it should be noted that, despite the positive results (for example, in the field of local government development, intermunicipal cooperation, etc.), many important problems remained unresolved. Contrary to the expectations of the reformers, the administrative and territorial structure of the country did not become simpler and more understandable.The number of levels and types of territorial units has increased. To three historical levels (communes, departments and state) regions were added.It should be noted and one more direction of reforms in France. It is about increasing the role of cities in local development through the creation of inter-municipal associations, including cities and adjacent territories.Also, after analyzing the process of decentralization in France, it is useful to point out that in our opinion decentralization should be considered as a powerful instrument of public administration, the key task of which is not to redistribute power between the state and the administrative units, but to redistribute the powers between them for the provision of various public services to the population. and different legal entities in the most effective way (convergence of services with simultaneous saving of budget expenditures), in order to create conditions for dynamic the flow of communities and the state as a whole.The construction of a decentralization model in Ukraine may have its own national peculiarities, but the use of examples of foreign good practices is a significant factor in the search for a Ukrainian model of development, therefore, in today’s world, the use of international experience regarding quality and efficient decentralization becomes relevant.