Water and law

The aim is to study the involvement of local authorities in environmental matters and the action of government departments. To do this, we'll be looking at local authority competence in water management, as well as the role of inter-municipal cooperation structures in water management and resource protection.

Students should be familiar with French jurisdictional organization, the normative hierarchy and legal balances. An introduction to legal mechanisms (notion of contract, rudiments of corporate law, etc.) will also be useful. The use of contracts as a means of administering resources (public service delegations and public procurement) will also be considered. For a complete understanding of the subject of this study, it is essential to consider the treatment of coastal waters in our region.

A study of the exercise of administrative police powers in the field of water management will be necessary to understand the law on ICPE and IOTA, and to consider territorial environmental planning and water resource management (SDAGE, SAGE and other schemes).

Watercourse law in France and the study of the small and large water cycle will help us understand how risk planning and the implementation of what is known as GEMAPI competence have developed in recent years.

Finally, with a lawyer specializing in environmental law and particularly experienced in water resource litigation, students will be able to reflect on conflict resolution mechanisms.

In this way, it will be possible to examine effective public participation in water management, and the recognition and assertion of the right to water and the right to sanitation.

A quick look at EU water law and European environmental law will complete the training.

At the end of a 2-week course, students are expected to acquire a basic understanding of water law in France today. They will need to know the essential characteristics that determine the intervention of public bodies and how the protection of the resource is envisaged in the territories.

There are no specific prerequisites. As with the other subjects, you need to show a keen curiosity for all issues concerning the management of water resources and the protection of natural aquatic environments.

The knowledge acquired will be tested in December by a 3-hour written test, during which the student must write an essay or commentary.