Territorial cohesion
France/Bilateral
A new report on regional planning in France
February 2026
On 29 January 2026, Dominique Faure submitted his report on regional planning to Françoise Gatel, Minister for Regional Planning and Decentralisation. Based on 67 hearings, it makes 13 recommendations, including: the adoption in 2026 of a national spatial planning strategy with a horizon of 2035 (No. 1), its translation into regional guidelines (No. 4), better coordination with European cohesion policy (No. 8) and a renewal of the contractual relationship between the State and local authorities (No. 9). These recommendations form the basis for various proposals aimed at reviving regional planning at the national level, rebuilding relations between the State as a "strategist and unifier" and the regions, and strengthening decentralisation.
Call for coordinated action
Dominique Faure calls for “coordinated mobilisation of all stakeholders” – emphasising that “local authorities, particularly regions and inter-municipal bodies, must be the driving force behind local development initiatives, without ruling out the departments […]” – in order to set a clear course of action, while allowing for differentiated solutions depending on the territory. Although the report is ambitious, it only mentions border regions in passing. The MOT hopes that the preparation of the national strategy will provide an opportunity to tackle the issue head-on.
