Contemporary French Administrative Law

380 Pages·2022·3.274 MB·English

by  John Bell, François Lichère

Title A CONTEMPORARY
u
t
h
o
r FRENCH
Subtitle
T ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
i
Back copy t
l
e
John Bell and François Lichère
Illustration credit
Designed by Cover designer

contemporary french administrative law
Despite the growing scholarly interest in comparative public law, there remain
relativelyfewworksonthesubject.ContemporaryFrenchAdministrativeLawaims
to redress that imbalance, offering English-language readers an authoritative
introductiontothekeyfeaturesofFrenchadministrativelawanditsinstitutions.
TheFrenchlegalsystemisamongthemostwell-developedandinfluentialinthe
world, and, as procedures continually adapt to European and international
influences, it has never been more worthy of research, study and interrogation.
Thisbookemploysawiderangeofrecent,illustrativecasestodemonstratehow
Frenchadministrativelawworksbothintheoryandinpractice.Usingasystematic
approachandcoveringeverythingfromjudicialreviewtopubliccontracts,thisisa
highlyvaluabletextforanystudentorresearcherwithaninterestinFrenchlaw.
ThebookisalsoavailableasOpenAccess.
John Bell QC (hon.), FBA is a retired professor of law at the University of
Cambridge. Previously, he worked at the Universities of Oxford and Leeds. He
hasbeenVisitingProfessorattheUniversitiesofParis1andParis2,Aix-Marseille3,
andtheUniversite´ duMaine.
Franc¸oisLiche`reisProfessorofpubliclawattheUniversityofJeanMoulinLyon
3.Hehastaughtadministrativelawsince1995.Hehaspublishednumerousbooks
andarticles,mainlyinthefieldofadministrativelawandpubliccontractslawin
FrenchandEnglish.Heisalsoaconsultanttolawfirmsandthefounderandhead
oftheChairededroitdescontratspublics.

Contemporary French
Administrative Law
JOHN BELL
UniversityofCambridge
`
FRANC¸ OIS LICHERE
Universite´ JeanMoulinLyon3
UniversityPrintingHouse,Cambridgecb28bs,UnitedKingdom
OneLibertyPlaza,20thFloor,NewYork,ny10006,USA
477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,vic3207,Australia
314–321,3rdFloor,Plot3,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre,
NewDelhi–110025,India
103PenangRoad,#05–06/07,VisioncrestCommercial,Singapore238467
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781316511169
doi:10.1017/9781009057127
©JohnBellandFranc¸oisLiche`re2022
Thisworkisincopyright.Itissubjecttostatutoryexceptionsandtotheprovisionsof
relevantlicensingagreements;withtheexceptionoftheCreativeCommonsversionthe
linkforwhichisprovidedbelow,noreproductionofanypartofthisworkmaytake
placewithoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Anonlineversionofthisworkispublishedatdoi.org/10.1017/9781009057127undera
CreativeCommonsOpenAccesslicenseCC-BY-NC4.0whichpermitsre-use,
distributionandreproductioninanymediumfornon-commercialpurposesproviding
appropriatecredittotheoriginalworkisgivenandanychangesmadeareindicated.To
viewacopyofthislicensevisithttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Allversionsofthisworkmaycontaincontentreproducedunderlicensefromthird
parties.
Permissiontoreproducethisthird-partycontentmustbeobtainedfromthesethird-
partiesdirectly.
Whencitingthiswork,pleaseincludeareferencetotheDOI10.1017/9781009057127
Firstpublished2022
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
isbn978-1-316-51116-9Hardback
isbn978-1-009-05666-3Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Contents
Preface pagexiii
ListofAbbreviations xv
TableofCasesbyDate xvii
TableofCasesbyName xxxviii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 FrenchAdministrativeLawinBritishScholarship 1
1.2 WhatIs‘Droitadministratif’? 4
1.3 TheShapingofDroitadministratif 5
1.4 TheInfluenceofFrenchConstitutionalLaw 7
1.5 TheInfluenceofEULaw:FrenchAdministrativeLaw
andtheSupremacyofEULaw 10
1.6 TheInfluenceoftheEuropeanConventiononHuman
Rights 14
1.7 ReformoftheAdministration 21
1.8 ANoteaboutCaseCitation 24
2 TheInstitutionalandLegalContextofAdministrativeLaw 26
2.1 TheCentralOrgansoftheState 26
2.1.1 TheExecutive 27
2.1.2 TheLegislature 28
2.2 TheLocalOrgansoftheState 30
2.2.1 RegionalAdministration 30
2.2.2 De´partement 32
2.2.3 TheCommune 32
2.2.4 TheBigCities:Paris,Lyon,Marseille(PLM) 33
v
vi Contents
2.2.5 ThePrefect 33
2.3 ElectedLocalAuthorities 34
2.3.1 Region 35
2.3.2 De´partement 36
2.3.3 TheCommune 36
2.3.4 TheBigCities:Paris,Lyon,Marseille 37
2.4 IndependentAdministrativeAuthorities(AAIs) 38
2.4.1 Regulation 39
2.4.2 Decision 40
2.4.3 Independence 40
2.5 De´fenseur(e)desdroits 41
2.6 SourcesofAdministrativeLaw 43
2.6.1 TheConstitution 44
2.6.2 CodesandLegislation 46
2.6.3 EULaw 47
2.6.4 EuropeanConventiononHumanRights 51
2.6.5 GeneralPrinciplesofLaw 53
2.6.6 CaseLaw(Lajurisprudence) 55
2.6.7 LegalScholarship(Ladoctrine) 57
2.7 Conclusion 59
3 CourtsandJudges 61
3.1 HistoricalContext 61
3.2 AdministrativeCourts 65
3.3 GeneralCourts 65
3.3.1 Tribunauxadministratifs 66
3.3.2 Coursadministrativesd’appel 68
3.3.3 Conseild’Etat 69
3.3.3.1 TheJudicialRole 70
3.3.3.2 TheConsultativeRole 72
3.3.3.3 Sectiondurapportetdese´tudes 76
3.3.4 Cournationaledudroitd’asile 78
3.3.5 CourdescomptesandOtherFinancialCourts 80
3.3.6 OtherAdministrativeCourts 82
3.4 AdministrativeJudges 83
3.4.1 CorpsofJudgesoftheTribunauxadministratifs
andtheCoursadministrativesd’appel 84
3.4.2 CorpsoftheConseild’Etat 85
3.4.3 CorpsofFinancialJudges 88
3.5 Conclusion 88
Contents vii
4 TheProcedureforMakingClaimsagainstPublicAuthorities 90
4.1 PrinciplesoftheAdministrativeCourtProcess 90
4.1.1 TheRighttoEffectiveRedress(Ledroitaurecours) 91
4.1.2 ThePrincipleofContradiction(Leprincipedu
contradictoire) 91
4.1.3 ThePrincipleofOpenness(Leprincipede
lapublicite´) 94
4.1.4 ThePrincipleofaDecisionwithinaReasonable
Time(Ladure´eraisonnabledelaproce´dure) 95
4.1.5 ThePrincipleoftheWrittenNatureofProceedings
(Lecaracte`reprincipalemente´critedelaproce´dure) 95
4.1.6 ThePrincipleoftheInquisitorialCharacter
ofProceedings(Lecaracte`reinquisitoirede
laproce´dure) 96
4.1.7 ThePrincipleofCollegiality(Leprincipede
lacolle´gialite´) 97
4.2 HowIsaClaimMade? 98
4.2.1 PriorAdministrativeRedress 99
4.2.2 AlternativeDisputeResolution 100
4.2.3 ObligatoryLegalRepresentation 103
4.3 InterimMeasures(Lere´fe´re´) 104
4.4 TheInvestigation(L’instruction) 110
4.4.1 RequestforInformation 111
4.4.2 ExpertReport(L’expertise) 112
4.4.3 SiteVisit(Lavisitedeslieux) 113
4.4.4 WitnessHearing(L’enqueˆte) 114
4.4.5 AmicusCuriae 114
4.5 RapporteurPublic 115
4.6 PreliminaryReferences 118
4.7 TheHearing 120
4.8 TheDeliberation 122
4.9 Enforcement 123
4.10 Conclusion 127
5 TheDistinctionbetweenPublicLawandPrivateLaw 128
5.1 TheSubjectMatterofLitigationattheConstitutional
Level 130
5.1.1 Illegality 130
5.1.2 ExceptionstotheSeparationofAdministrative
andOrdinaryJudicialAuthorities 131
viii Contents
5.1.2.1 TheDefenceofIllegalitybeforethe
CivilCourts 131
5.1.2.2 CriminalProceedings 133
5.1.2.3 ProtectionofCivilLibertiesandPrivate
Property 134
5.1.2.4 TheGoodAdministrationofJustice 137
5.1.2.5 LegislativeExceptions 138
5.2 OtherCategoriesofLitigation 138
5.2.1 ContractsandCommercialActivities 139
5.2.2 Property 139
5.2.3 LiabilityofPublicBodies 140
5.3 Voiedefait 141
5.4 PublicPersons 144
5.5 GeneralCriteriaforIdentifyingPublicLawMatters 147
5.6 MechanismsforHandlingConflictsoverJurisdiction 150
5.6.1 PositiveConflict 150
5.6.2 NegativeConflict 151
5.6.3 PreliminaryReferencebyaCourt 151
5.6.4 ConflictofDecisions 152
5.7 Conclusion 152
6 JudicialReviewofAdministrativeAction:Procedure 154
6.1 WhoCanChallengeanAdministrativeDecision? 155
6.2 WhatKindsofDecisionsCanBeChallenged? 158
6.2.1 TheNeedforaPriorDecision 158
6.2.2 CircularsandSoftLaw 159
6.2.2.1 Circulars 159
6.2.2.2 Guidelines 160
6.2.2.3 OtherSoftLawandInformation 161
6.2.3 InternalMeasures 162
6.2.4 Actesdegouvernement 164
6.3 IsJudicialReviewInappropriate? 166
6.4 TimeLimits 167
6.5 CanJudicialReviewBeExcluded? 168
6.6 Remedies 169
6.6.1 Nullity 169
6.6.1.1 WhatIstheEffectofNullity? 169
6.6.2 CanNullityBeAvoided? 170
6.6.3 Injunctions(Injonctions) 172