Decree widens Paris police prefect powers and Corsica crime mandate

The French Government has issued Décret n° 2026-814 of 24 August 2026, published in the Journal officiel de la République française (JORF n° 0197) of 25 August 2026, which reconfigures the powers of the préfet de police and the préfet de Corse. Signed by the Premier ministre, the ministre de l’intérieur and the garde des sceaux, ministre de la justice, the decree amends the decree of 29 April 2004 on the powers of prefects and enters into force on the first day of the month following its publication, i.e. 1 September 2026.

The text is part of a broader reorganisation of internal security on key territories. It extends the préfet de police’s authority over the emprises of the airports of Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Le Bourget and Paris-Orly, where he is now responsible for public order and the policing of aerodromes and aeronautical installations. In parallel, it gives the préfet de Corse a coordinating role in the fight against organised crime on the island.

Extended police prefect powers over Parisian airports

Under the new Article 73-1 of the 2004 decree, the préfet de police is responsible for public order on the emprises of the three Parisian airports, notably the prevention of threats to the safety of persons and property. He exercises there the powers set out in Article L. 6332-2 of the code des transports and directs the action of police forces, gendarmerie units and the brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris.

The decree also creates a dedicated security committee for each airport, co-chaired by the préfet de police and the procureur de la République of the judicial court in whose jurisdiction the airport emprise lies. The new Article D. 122-59 of the code de la sécurité intérieure derogates from the common rules to allow this per-airport arrangement.

A coordinating role for the prefect of Corsica

The préfet de Corse is now tasked with coordinating the action of State services in Corsica in the fight against organised crime, without prejudice to the powers of the préfet de la Haute-Corse. This mission is subject to the rules of the code de procédure pénale on judicial police and to the lead-service competences provided for in Article L. 121-1 of the code de la sécurité intérieure.

The decree also amends Article 80 of the 2004 decree so that the préfet de la Haute-Corse assists the préfet de Corse in this coordination mission and may receive delegation of signature from each prefect in the matters concerned.

Scope of the new attributions

The extended powers cover a wide range of legal fields, including:

• the code général des collectivités territoriales (Articles L. 2214-4, L. 2215-1 and L. 2521-3);
• the code de la construction et de l’habitation and the law of 6 July 1989 on residential relations;
• the code de la route, the code de la santé publique and the code du sport;
• the code de la sécurité intérieure, the code des transports and the code de l’urbanisme;
• the code de la défense, the code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile and the code du travail.

The decree also inserts the préfet de police into Article R. 2212-2 of the code de la défense and extends the health-emergency provisions of the code de la santé publique to the emprises of the three Parisian airports.

Why it matters

By concentrating public-order powers over the country’s busiest airports in the hands of the préfet de police and giving the préfet de Corse a clear coordinating mandate against organised crime, the decree tightens the chain of command of internal security on two strategic territories. For residents and travellers, it means a single authority accountable for security on the Parisian airport platforms and a more coherent State response to organised crime in Corsica.

Source: Journal officiel de la République française, n° 0197, 25 August 2026 (official reference: Décret n° 2026-814, NOR INTP2614841D, JORFTEXT000054743041).