[3] The communauté de communes was created by a statute of the French Parliament enacted on 6 February 1992.
According to the Code général des collectivités territoriales (CGCT; general law over regional administrative structures), a communauté de communes is an établissement public de coopération intercommunale (EPCI; public establishment of inter-communal cooperation) formed by several French municipalities that cover a connected territory without enclave.
When the Chevènement law regulatory modifications came into force in 1999 communautés de communes already in existence that did not meet the criterion of geographical continuity were left untouched.
The taxe professionnelle is sometimes presented as an unfair burden on the economy or even as a device for exporting jobs outside France, and it has been subject to a series of reforms over the years but central government undertakings to abolish it (and presumably to replace it) have yet to come to fruition.
Article 5214-16 of the CGCT requires the communauté de communes to exercise its responsibilities in the following policy areas: The communauté de communes may also choose to exercise its responsibilities in at least one of the following six policy areas: The communauté de communes may define its own personnel requirements and appoint appropriately qualified employees.