LOQUET, Patrick <br/><br/>
Un préfet au conseil général :  une situation anachronique ou un exemple à suivre? 

 - Paris :  IIAP,  oct./déc. 2000 
<br/><br/> In March 1982, pursuant to the first statute on decentralisation, General Councils became the executive power in departments, in place of the prefect, the State representative, who was confined essentially to task of checking legality. Since then, the department of Pas-de-Calais has presented an exceptional case in France: its prefect attends the meetings of the General Council and is present on a number of its commissions. This situation, which is not legally prohibited, enables a dialogue to take place, sometimes of an informal nature, between the States' representative and the local executive and keeps the parties better informed, in a way which is over and above the legally required channels of communication. Based upon the notion of fair play and listening to one another, this practice is not followed elsewhere, and would not survive should the current president of the General Council of Pas-de-Calais leave office