Question 12254 — local authorities

Summary

Mr. Hubert Brigand draws the attention of the Minister of Territorial Planning and Decentralization to the concerns expressed by the energy unions following several announcements made as part of the preparatory work for the bill relating to the new decentralization act. Thus, during the Conference of the departments of France, on November 13, 2025, then during the discussions led by the Government with communities, the possibility of recognizing the department as a “leader of local networks”, including in particular the electricity and gas distribution networks, was raised. In the absence of details, these announcements raise serious concerns among energy unions and rural communities. Public electricity distribution has historically fallen under the jurisdiction of the municipal bloc since the law of 15 June 1906 and is today carried out, for reasons of technicality, efficiency and proximity, by specialized intercommunal unions. They notably ensure project management of work on low voltage networks in rural areas, contributing to the quality of service, the safety of works, territorial equality and the implementation of the energy transition. The stakeholders concerned fear that a transfer of competence, or even an ill-defined leadership role entrusted to the departments, does not lead to a reduction in investments in rural networks or, failing that, an increase in users' bills via the tariff for using public electricity networks. In this context, he asks what precisely the notion of “network leader” mentioned for the departments covers, if the Government is considering an evolution of skills currently exercised by the municipal bloc and the energy unions and what guarantees would be provided to preserve local governance, project management and the investment capacity of the energy unions, in line with the objectives of clarification and rationalization of the new decentralization act.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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