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| Prefect of Somme | |
|---|---|
| Name | Prefect of Somme |
| Native name | Préfet de la Somme |
| Incumbent | Jean-François Cordet |
| Residence | Hôtel de Préfecture, Amiens |
| Formation | Napoleon I (1800) |
| Precursor | Intendant (Ancien Régime) |
| Website | Préfecture de la Somme |
Prefect of Somme.
The Prefect of Somme is the senior state representative for the Somme in Hauts-de-France, charged with implementing national policies and coordinating state services. The office connects national institutions such as the Prime Minister of France, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Conseil d'État with departmental bodies including the Departmental Council of Somme, the Amiens municipal administration, and regional agencies.
The prefect enforces decrees from the President of France, directives from the Prime Minister of France, and regulatory acts from the Ministry of the Interior (France), supervising public order alongside the National Gendarmerie and the Préfecture de police. The prefect oversees civil protection activities linked to Sécurité civile, coordinates responses with the Centre opérationnel de gestion interministérielle des crises (COGIC), and administers state competencies such as issuing identity documents under rules from the Conseil constitutionnel and the Cour de cassation. The role includes liaison with security services like the Direction générale de la Sécurité intérieure (DGSI) and infrastructure authorities such as SNCF and Direction générale des infrastructures, des transports et de la mer (DGITM).
The office traces to the Napoleonic reorganization by Napoleon I and the law of the Conseil d'État (France) establishing prefectures during the French Consulate and the Law of 28 Pluviôse Year VIII. Prefects succeeded Intendant (Ancien Régime)s and evolved through regimes including the Bourbon Restoration, the July Monarchy, the Second Empire, and the Third Republic. During the Franco-Prussian War and World War I the Somme prefecture interacted with military commands such as the French Army and the Allied Expeditionary Force. In World War II the prefect navigated occupation policies involving Vichy France and later the Provisional Government of the French Republic under Charles de Gaulle. Postwar reforms from the Constitution of the Fifth Republic and the decentralisation laws of 1982–83 altered competences vis-à-vis the Departmental Council and the Regional Council (France).
The succession of prefects includes appointees from the First Empire to the Fifth Republic. Early names include prefects appointed under Napoleon I and later figures during the Third Republic. The 20th century list records prefects serving before, during, and after World War I and World War II, with administrations responding to crises like the Battle of the Somme and reconstruction projects supported by ministries such as the Ministry of Reconstruction and Urbanism. Recent prefects were appointed by presidents such as François Hollande and Emmanuel Macron following proposals from the Prime Minister of France.
Prefects are career civil servants from institutions like the École nationale d'administration or senior corps affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior (France), nominated by the President of France on the proposal of the Prime Minister of France and countersigned by the Minister of the Interior (France). The prefect coordinates departmental directorates such as the Directions départementales interministérielles and liaises with national inspectorates like the Inspecteur général des affaires sociales. Administrative acts issued by the prefect can be challenged before administrative tribunals and ultimately the Conseil d'État (France).
Notable prefects in Somme history engaged with events like the Battle of the Somme, the Great Depression, postwar reconstruction linked to the Marshall Plan, and decentralization debates connected to the NOTRe law. Some prefects moved on to national roles in administrations of presidents including Georges Pompidou and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing or held posts within the Conseil d'État (France), the Cour des comptes, and diplomatic posts in the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (France).
The prefecture is housed at the Hôtel de Préfecture in Amiens, an administrative building near landmarks like the Amiens Cathedral and linked to transport hubs such as the Amiens railway station served by SNCF lines. The building contains offices for the Préfecture de la Somme services, archives interacting with the Archives départementales de la Somme, and meeting rooms used for coordination with representatives of institutions like the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (France) and local branches of Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS).
The prefect acts as the state's interlocutor with the Departmental Council of Somme, mayors of communes including Amiens and Abbeville, and presidents of intercommunal bodies such as communautés d'agglomération. The prefect oversees legality controls over decisions of municipal councils, coordinates crisis responses with SDIS (Service départemental d'incendie et de secours), and negotiates funding frameworks involving the Ministry of Finance (France) and regional bodies like the Hauts-de-France Regional Council.
Category:Government of Somme Category:Prefects of France