The nature of a French territorial collectivity is set forth in Article 72 of the Constitution of France (1958), which provides for local autonomy within limits prescribed by law.
[2] The term collectivité territoriale is used in Burkina Faso, in France by its legislation[3] and the Constitution,[4] in Mali and in Morocco.
It represents 200,000 territorial authorities in 47 European countries, including France's 36,000 communes.
As the voice of territorial authorities, towns and regions, the Congress is responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 47 member states by promoting consultation and political dialogue between governments and territorial authorities.
In June 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, a plan of action for the 21st century called Agenda 21 was adopted, applying to territorial authorities, regions, départements, communities of communes or municipalities.