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Although it had been historically submitted to the authority of central state power, since 1975 Paris has become the most powerful municipality in France. The creation of district councils started a process of sustained decentralization reinforced by the fact that the councils are elective. As organs of the municipality, they bring its action closer to the people and guarantee the participation of the citizens, even more so since the creation of neighborhood councils. But the main problem for Paris comes from its historical separation from the suburban municipalities and from the need for an organization of the entire metropolitan area. The Paris City Hall has tried to develop a closer cooperation with the surrounding municipalities, but the collaboration that already exists between the latter makes it even more difficult to create an integrated structure around the capital. In such a context, a new coherence can only be imposed from the regional level.