Editing Departments of France (section)

==Future==
The removal of one or more levels of local government has been discussed for some years; in particular, the option of removing the departmental level. [[Frédéric Lefebvre]], spokesman for the [[Union for a Popular Movement|UMP]], said in December 2008 that the fusion of the departments with the regions was a matter to be dealt with soon. This was soon refuted by [[Édouard Balladur]] and [[Gérard Longuet]], members of the committee for the reform of local authorities, known as the Balladur Committee.<ref name="Lexpress">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/la-fusion-departement-region-n-est-pas-a-l-ordre-du-jour_728648.html | title=La fusion département-région n'est pas à l'ordre du jour | magazine=L'Express | access-date=2011-07-21}}</ref>

In January 2008, the [[Jacques Attali#"Attali Commission"|Attali Commission]] recommended that the departmental level of government should be eliminated within ten years.<ref>[http://www.la-croix.com/illustrations/Multimedia/Actu/2008/1/23/attali.pdf Report of the ''Attali Commission'']{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} "Decision 260", p. 197 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

Nevertheless, the Balladur Committee has not retained this proposition and does not advocate the disappearance of the departments, but simply "favors the voluntary grouping of departments", which it suggests also for the regions, with the aim of reducing the number of regions to 15.<ref name="Balladur">{{cite web|url=http://reformedescollectiviteslocales.fr/actualites/index.php?id=75|title=Les 20 propositions du Comité (20 propositions of the Committee)|publisher=Committee for the reform of local authorities|language=fr|access-date=2009-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721020232/http://reformedescollectiviteslocales.fr/actualites/index.php?id=75|archive-date=21 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> This committee advocates, on the contrary, the suppression of the cantons.<ref name="Balladur"/>