Cooperation decentralisee et souverainete de l'etat. Contribution a l'etude du regime juridique de l'action exterieure des collectivites territoriales

par Bernard Dolez

Thèse de doctorat en Droit public

Sous la direction de Yves Luchaire.

Soutenue en 1993

à Lille 2 .

mots clés

Résumé

La these se propose d'etudier les conditions juridiques dans lesquelles les collectivites territoriales peuvent nouer des relations avec des collectivites publiques etrangeres. Il s'agit a la fois de preciser le regime juridique des relations dites de "cooperation decentralisee" et d'examiner si elles constituent ou non une atteinte a la souverainete de l'etat. Apres avoir etudiee, dans la premiere partie, la question de la competence des collectivites territoriales en matiere de cooperation decentralisee, la these examine dans la seconde partie les limites de la cooperation decentralisee. La premiere question est a son tour abordee sous l'angle des fondements de la competence des collectivites territoriales, que l'on peut rechercher dans le droit international public mais surtout dans le droit constitutionnel, puis sous l'angle de l'etendue de cette competence, qui se heurte au depart au principe de l'unite de l'etat et au monopole de l'etat en matiere internationale, mais qui a ete reconnue et etendue par des reformes legislatives successives. La seconde partie passe successivement en revue les limites qui decoulent du controle de l'etat et celles qui decoulent de l'insuffisance des instruments juridiques et administratifs. Etayee sur l'experience francaise, la these conclue finalement que les collectivites territoriales n'ont fait qu'un usage modere de la

Titre traduit

The state's sovereignty and local authorities' competence for international co-operation. Contribution to the legal analysis of local authorities' activity on the international scene

Résumé

The subject is to study the legal conditions which enble local authorities to establish relationships with foreign public authorites. This question implies to scrutinize both the legal status of such international relationships and their impingement on the state's sovereignty. The first section deals with the problem of local authorities' competence inthe field of international co-operation. In the second section the dissertation examins what limits are set to such international co-operation. The first question is viewed on two aspects: (j) the legal basis for local authorities' competence, (ij) the extent of this competence. The first aspect refers to international public law and mainly to constitutional law. The second aspect which at first can be considered as a challenge for the principle of the state's unity as well as for its monopoly on internatioanl affairs, has been legally acknowledged and extended through successive reforms in parliament. The second section reviews the various limits which derive from the state's control and from inadequate legal and administrative tools. Based on the french experience, the dissertation finally concludes that local authorities have only made a limited use of their new