The first article of the French Constitution states that “France shall be an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic (…) It shall be organised on a decentralised basis.” (Article 1 of the French Constitution of 4 October 1958 as amended by Constitutional Law no. 2008-724 of 23 July 2008). Within this framework, the state retains a major role in the definition, regulation and funding of cultural policies.
The President of the Republic is the head of state and is elected for a five-year term by direct universal suffrage. The President appoints the Prime Minister, who is responsible for forming the government and for defining and implementing national policies. These policies are submitted to Parliament, which represents the people and is composed of two houses: the National Assembly and the Senate.
At national level, cultural governance is primarily coordinated by the Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for preparing and implementing government policy in the fields of heritage, artistic creation, media, cultural industries and cultural transmission.
The Minister of Culture defines the main strategic priorities of national cultural policy and supervises the allocation of State funding through the Ministry’s budget, which is voted annually by Parliament. The Ministry operates through a central administration composed of several directorates-general dedicated to heritage and architecture, artistic creation, media and cultural industries, as well as cultural democracy and arts education.
Other ministries also contribute to cultural policy within their respective fields of competence. The Ministry of National Education plays a key role in arts and cultural education; the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs supports the international promotion of French culture and cultural diplomacy; while other ministries contribute to heritage conservation, scientific culture and creative industries.
National cultural policies are implemented through a network of decentralised services and public institutions. The Regional Directorates for Cultural Affairs (DRACs) represent the Ministry of Culture throughout the country and ensure coordination between the State and territorial authorities. Public cultural institutions — including national museums, libraries, theatres and opera houses — also play a major role in the implementation of national cultural strategies.
Comments are closed.