For many historical reasons France has always refused federalism. The principle of delegating responsibility has always taken precedence over decentralising it. Until the early 1980s, the central government delegated its powers to the préfets (deputy commissioner), its representatives in each département (districts), and later in each region. It was faced with the demands of local elected officials and private sector businessmen who wanted responsibilities to be divided up differently. In some cases, regional demands took on a violent aspect, as in Corsica and Brittany. The desire for autonomy continued to grow. European institutions pressed in the same direction, with the creation of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which grants catch-up subsidies to disadvantaged regions.
The decentralisation laws passed in 1982-83 were an initial step towards genuine regionalisation. The existing boundaries were not changed, but for the first time the regions had elected assemblies whose president held executive powers in place of the préfet. A new allocation of responsibilities and resources between central and local government began to appear. Central government remained responsible for major budget priorities. A small degree of regional taxation was added to the taxes already raised by local authorities. The reallocation has been clearest in the case of schools. Central government retains overarching power since it pays the salaries of teachers at all levels. Buildings, on the other hand, come under various local authorities: the commune for primary schools, the département for colleges (secondary schools) and the region for lycées (high schools) and vocational training. In the case of universities, regions may jointly fund new ones with central government. For transport, regions may pay for the operation of TER (regional express train) networks, including the purchase of rolling stock. Much of the national road network is now in the hands of the 26 regions and 100 départements. The regions have also gained some responsibility for economic matters. They can encourage company location or support threatened sectors. This economic power is naturally constrained by EU rules. Regions can also negotiate directly with the European Union for the funding of projects that are part of its programme objectives. French regions have benefited considerably from these funds, but with the enlargement of the Union to the east and the reform of the structural funds, the share for French regions has been reduced.
Decentralisation is now a founding principle of the Republic. The Constitution was modified for that purpose on 17 March 2003. However, France is still far from the degree of regionalisation or federalism existing in other European countries. Further extension of decentralisation is a current matter for debate. Be that as it may, changes to decentralisation and regionalisation are not finished.