Section 5: Regional cooperation

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Article R4433-37

French General Code of Local AuthoritiesIn force

Updated 4 Nov 2023

An agreement between the State, represented jointly by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister responsible for Overseas France, and each of the local authorities mentioned in articles L. 4433-4-5-1 or L. 4433-4-5-3 defines the conditions under which local authority employees are received at French diplomatic missions. This agreement defines:

1° The duties of the agents of the local authority within the diplomatic mission in which they carry out their duties. These missions relate to regional cooperation actions. They may also include the possibility for these agents, at the request of the head of mission and with the agreement of the president of the deliberative body of the territorial authority, to assist in the smooth running of the diplomatic mission.

The precise duties of each agent are set out in a mission letter signed jointly by the president of the deliberative body of the territorial authority and the head of mission;

2° Their geographical jurisdiction;

3° The training actions that may be organised to facilitate the performance of the missions defined in 1° of this article ;

4° The material and logistical resources made available to each of the agents of the territorial authority within the diplomatic mission;

5° The relations between, on the one hand, each of the agents of the territorial authority and the head of mission and, on the other hand, the head of mission and the territorial authority. Each territorial agent regularly reports on his or her actions to the head of mission and must comply with his or her directives pursuant to articles 3 and 6 of decree no. 79-433 of 1 June 1979 relating to the powers of ambassadors and the organisation of State services abroad. Each year, the head of mission shall send the president of the local authority's decision-making body his assessment of the way in which each of the local authority's employees has performed their duties.

The agreement specifies the financial costs associated with the performance of the duties of the local authority's employees within the diplomatic mission, as well as their distribution between the State and this local authority.

Mariela Petrova

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Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

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We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

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Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

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15+ Years In Corporate Practice

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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