France creates ministerial delegate post for Méditerranée-Rhône-Saône corridor

The Ministère des transports has created a director-of-project post (group I) at its central administration to pilot the governance of the Méditerranée-Rhône-Saône (MeRS) corridor, with the holder exercising the functions of ministerial delegate for the axis. The vacancy notice, published in the Journal officiel de la République française n°0197 of 25 August 2026 (NOR TRAK2622551V), places the post in Marseille under the authority of the transport minister.

The post is attached to the direction des transports ferroviaires et fluviaux et des ports (DTFFP) within the direction générale des infrastructures et des transports. Its holder will act as délégué ministériel à l’axe Méditerranée-Rhône-Saône, travelling weekly to the main sites of the axis and to central administrations.

A strategic economic corridor

The MeRS corridor is a major economic, industrial and energy axis linking the Mediterranean coast — notably the ports of Marseille-Fos, Sète and Toulon — to the industrial hinterland of the Rhône and Saône up to Burgundy. It concentrates more than a third of French GDP and 25% of national electricity production, and represents a logistics potential essential to economic sovereignty and the energy transition.

Despite these assets, the axis currently lacks an integrated governance model that fully satisfies its stakeholders. The creation of a ministerial delegate is intended to consolidate and accelerate the momentum built up in recent years.

Governance and missions

The delegate will chair a directoire and rely on a comité des parties prenantes, a flexible structure associating the State, political authorities and economic actors. The directoire will bring together:

• Permanent members: the president of the regional council, the prefects, the president of the directoire of the grand port maritime de Marseille, and the director general of the CNR;
• Associated members: authorities of neighbouring regions and Voies navigables de France;
• Invited members depending on the agenda, such as SNCF-Réseau.

The first priorities include transforming the Conseil de coordination interportuaire et logistique (CCIL) into a Comité des parties prenantes (CPP), validating the axis master plan, preparing a GIE foncier, accelerating river and rail massification, creating a common brand for the axis ports, and monitoring the CPIER interregional plan. Longer-term work will anticipate the end of the CNR concession contract.

Profile, conditions and procedure

Candidates are expected to show strong knowledge of transport and planning policy, proven ability to lead territorial dialogue, negotiation and project-management skills, and deep experience of public administration. The post is open under the code général de la fonction publique (articles R. 342-1 to R. 342-17) and décret n° 2019-1594 of 31 December 2019 on State management posts.

The term is three years, renewable once up to six years, with a six-month probation period. Remuneration comprises an indiciary and an indemnity component, plus an annual supplement depending on performance; for civil servants it is set under décret n° 2022-1453 of 23 November 2022.

The recruitment authority is the ministry’s secrétaire général, represented by the délégation à l’encadrement supérieur; the employment authority is Mme Floriane TORCHIN, director of rail and river transport and ports. Applications, comprising a motivation letter and detailed CV, must be sent electronically within thirty days of publication to floriane.torchin@developpement-durable.gouv.fr and des.sg@developpement-durable.gouv.fr. Contacts are Mme Floriane TORCHIN and M. Laurent TAPADINHAS, ministerial delegate for senior management.

Why it matters

The creation of this dedicated post signals a step change in how the State steers one of France’s most productive corridors, giving senior civil servants a high-profile, three-year mandate to build integrated governance across ports, industry and logistics. For readers, it marks a concrete career opportunity at the heart of the country’s energy-transition and reindustrialisation agenda.

Source: Journal officiel de la République française, n°0197, 25 August 2026, section I (official reference: NOR TRAK2622551V).