EPCI

An établissement public de coopération intercommunale (EPCI) is a French public entity designed to foster cooperation among communes for the management of shared services and development projects. It enables member communes to pool resources and coordinate policies in areas such as urban planning, economic development, housing, transport, environment, sanitation, and culture.

There are four main forms of EPCI according to size and urban density: communauté de communes, communauté d'agglomération, communauté urbaine, and métropole. The form is chosen based on population and urban characteristics, with thresholds and criteria defined by law. Each form has its own governance and scope, but all are built to replace or supplement smaller, fragmented intercommunal arrangements.

Governance of an EPCI rests on its legal personality and budgetary autonomy. It is governed by a conseil communautaire composed of delegates from the member communes, typically including the mayors of those communes. The council elects a president, and day-to-day administration is carried out by an executive bureau and a director-general of services. The EPCI holds competences that can be mandatory or transfered from member communes, including urban planning and land use, economic development, housing policy, environmental protection, waste management, public transport, and cultural facilities.

Funding for an EPCI comes from multiple sources, including contributions from member communes, local taxes and fees, and state subsidies or grants for specific projects. By pooling resources, the EPCI aims to achieve economies of scale and coordinated development that individual communes alone could not attain.

Historically created to strengthen intermunicipal cooperation, the EPCI framework has evolved through reforms to broaden its competences and streamline governance, making intercommunal cooperation a central pillar of French territorial administration.