The ‘Alsace European Authority’: a new step in the ‘territorial differentiation’ in France

Alsace is a former regional authority which has been amalgamated into a new Grand Est (Greater East) region. After attempts to prevent the dissolution of their region, many elected representatives in Alsace implemented a rapprochement of the two Departments incorporating the former region, Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin, in order to continue to pursue a territorial policy throughout Alsace. This process caused high political tensions with the Grand Est Regional Council, where the Departments wished to retain some involvement despite the legal obligation to waive this jurisdiction. Territorial governance became more complex. An agreement was nevertheless reached at the end of 2018 to create the ‘Collectivité européenne d’Alsace’ (Alsace European Authority), a new Alsatian body within the Grand Est region following the merger of the two departments, entrusted with specific jurisdictions due to the importance of cross-border issues. This new type of body sets a precedent in mainland France (except Corsica). Its creation reflects, to a certain extent, an evolution towards greater ‘territorial differentiation’, a principle which calls into question the institutional organization uniformity of a unitary State such as France, to better adapt to specificities of each territory. This case study confirms only partly existing theoretical approaches.