PRÉFECTURE DU CALVADOS

It is difficult to find it in the administrative maze. Especially when the caps of authority merge. Thus, the prefect of the Region and Department. This is the case for Lower Normandy and Calvados. Established by Napoleon in 1800, the prefects saw their role profoundly transformed by decentralization. Prior to 1982, prefects and préfètes represented the State and held executive power. Since the Act of 2 March 1982 on the rights and freedoms of municipalities, departments and regions, the executive function has been transferred to the Presidents of the General and Regional Council. The prefect remains «the custodian of the authority of the State in the department» and, as such, responsible for public order with police powers. As a direct representative of the Prime Minister who appoints him and each minister in the department, he implements government-wide development and management policies across the department. The prefect has a cabinet and a general secretariat. It is assisted in each district by a sub-prefect: Lisieux, Bayeux and Into with the Calvados. Often, prefect or reeve varies (depending on a change of government, for example) but administrative services remain the same. In this way, some important steps taken by the day-to-day authorities are being carried out: driving licences, gage certificates and grey cards, passports, naturalisation, associations, regulated professions, etc. Some can be made or anticipated online). Please do not hesitate to inform yourself, sometimes, by phone before you bother. As far as we are concerned, we have fallen on very kind people.