La décentralisation des ports en France : de la recomposition institutionnelle aux mutations fonctionnelles. L'exemple de Toulon

In France, a second round of decentralization is organized by the Law of 13 August 2004 on "freedoms and local responsibilities". In this law, the ports of national interest are transferred from the State to different public levels (Region, Departement, municipalities). The ownership, the management and the maintenance of these ports have been transferred. This transfer introduced a process of negotiations between the institutional policy makers who manage the ports. This process and the new public policies related to this port decentralization is the subject of this article. The purpose is to explain the new port management, the variety of political actors involved in these ports, the new model of governance and new direction of port activities. These developments will be illustrated by the example of the port of Toulon.