Conseil régional des Hauts-de-France

Conseil régional des Hauts-de-France
Name	Conseil régional des Hauts-de-France
Established	1 January 2016
Predecessor	Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardy
Jurisdiction	Hauts-de-France
Headquarters	Lille
Membership	170 councillors
Leader title	President
Leader name	Xavier Bertrand

Conseil régional des Hauts-de-France is the regional assembly for Hauts-de-France, created by merging the former regional councils of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy during the territorial reform of 2014 that produced new institutional maps including Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Grand Est. It convenes in Lille and operates within the framework set by national statutes such as the Decentralisation in France laws and the NOTRe law. The council interacts with national and European bodies including Assemblée nationale, Sénat, European Parliament, and Committee of the Regions.

History

The body was established following the territorial reorganisation legislated by the Act III of decentralisation reforms and the Law on the delimitation of regions in France (2014), effective 1 January 2016, aligning with precedents like the creation of Région Grand Est and the merger that formed Occitanie. Its formation involved political actors such as Manuel Valls, François Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy, and regional figures from Nord and Somme, with administrative transitions coordinated by prefects drawn from offices like the prefecture system. The council’s early mandates engaged with legacy projects from Amiens, Roubaix, Calais, Métropole Européenne de Lille and infrastructure programmes linked to Eurostar routes and Channel Tunnel planning. Political contests among parties including The Republicans, Socialist Party, National Rally, La République En Marche!, and Europe Ecology – The Greens shaped initial leadership choices and committee assignments.

Composition and Leadership

The assembly comprises 170 regional councillors elected under the two-round proportional list system with majority premium used in French regional elections, involving national parties such as Les Républicains, Parti Socialiste, La République En Marche!, Rassemblement National, and regional movements represented by figures from Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Aisne, Oise, and Somme. Leadership has included presidents drawn from politicians like Xavier Bertrand and predecessors associated with alliances formed during campaigns paralleling national contests in 2021 French regional elections and earlier cycles of 2015 French regional elections. The council organizes political groups reflecting memberships from French Communist Party, The Greens, La France Insoumise, and centrist groupings related to MoDem and UDI. Committees are chaired by councillors who coordinate with institutional actors such as the Agence de développement économique and regional agencies modeled after ADEME.

Functions and Competences

Its statutory competences derive from national legislation and transfer processes involving ministries such as Ministry of the Interior and Ministry for Territorial Cohesion, encompassing responsibilities for regional transport networks like TER, vocational training institutions including GRETA, secondary-level infrastructure (lycées), economic development programs coordinating with BPI France, and management of European Structural and Investment Funds administered through European Regional Development Fund frameworks. The council also develops cultural policy engaging institutions such as Opéra de Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, and heritage sites like Vimy Ridge Memorial, and interacts with research organizations including CNRS, INRAE, and universities such as Université de Lille and Université de Picardie Jules Verne.

Organization and Administration

Administrative operation is headed by an executive bureau assisted by departments responsible for transport, education, economic development, environment, and culture, structured similarly to administrative models in Région Île-de-France and Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The regional prefecture, representing the Government of France, maintains oversight on legality issues while the council’s secretary-general coordinates with territorial collectives such as Métropole Européenne de Lille and departmental councils of Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Somme, Oise, and Aisne. Professional staff interact with public institutions including Chambres de commerce, Pôle emploi, and regional health agencies patterned after Agence régionale de santé.

Budget and Finance

The regional budget is balanced annually and funded by transfers from the central treasury via mechanisms used by the Direction générale des collectivités locales, local tax allocations like the Taxe d'habitation reforms, and co-financing through European Union structural funds such as the European Social Fund and Cohesion Fund. Expenditure priorities typically include lycée construction, regional transport subsidies for TER and intercity routes, vocational training expenditures with providers like AFPA, and economic incentives managed jointly with BPI France and local chambers. Financial oversight involves audits by the Cour des comptes and controls linked to national procedures used in other regions like Brittany and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

Regional Policies and Initiatives

Policy portfolios address industrial reconversion in former mining basins around Lens, port development in Calais and Dunkirk, and cross-border cooperation with Belgium and United Kingdom entities, aligning with projects such as transnational corridors connected to TEN-T networks. Initiatives promote innovation with partnerships involving Université de Lille, research centres like Institut Pasteur de Lille, and clusters comparable to European Metropolis of Lille and Pôle d'excellence régional. Social and cultural programming works with institutions like Comédie de Picardie and heritage preservation at sites like Beffroi de Lille. Environmental and energy transitions coordinate with actors such as ADEME, regional wind and solar projects, and cross-border air quality monitoring with Flanders authorities.

Relationships with Other Governments and Institutions

The council maintains intergovernmental relations with the French Government, represented by the Prefect of Hauts-de-France, cooperates with municipal bodies including Lille, Amiens, Rouen-adjacent entities, and engages in cross-border partnerships with Flanders and Wallonia as well as supra-national bodies like the European Committee of the Regions and European Investment Bank. It participates in national federations of regions and inter-regional consortia similar to alliances seen between Régions de France members, and liaises with international economic actors including Airbus, ArcelorMittal, and logistics hubs tied to Port of Dunkirk and Port of Calais to coordinate investment, training, and transport strategies.

Category:Politics of Hauts-de-France Category:Regional councils of France