On 1 April 2025, the French Senate adopted a bill ending the mandatory transfer of drinking water and sanitation responsibilities from individual communes (municipalities) to intercommunal structures. This marks a complete reversal of a key provision of the 2015 Nouvelle Organisation Territoriale de la République (NOTRe) law, which had mandated the transfer of water and sanitation responsibilities to larger intercommunal entities by January 2026. With this reform, municipalities regain full autonomy to retain control over local water governance.
The reform halts a governance trend that has unfolded over the past decade, shifting tendering dynamics back toward local control. This evolution marks a broader governance reset. The 2015 NOTRe law drove consolidation by requiring over 35,000 communes to transfer responsibilities to roughly 1,250 intercommunal entities. The aim was administrative efficiency and scale, but it also meant losing political oversight over critical public services for many local governments. Between 2015 and 2023, active water and wastewater systems declined significantly, benefiting national operators with the scale to serve pooled territories through larger concessions or service contracts. The April 2025 reform interrupts this process. While partly political, the shift also reflects a dissatisfaction in some municipalities with consolidation outcomes—whether due to limited-service improvements or perceived distance from local needs.
