Organisation and operation

‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ is an association governed by the 1901 Act, whose members are the listed villages, represented by their mayor or any other member of the local council authorised to act on their behalf.
 

The governing bodies

Alongside its decision-making bodies – the General Assembly, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee – the association also has three technical committees set up to oversee the association’s three strategic priorities:

> The Quality and Certification Committee

Responsible for decisions on the classification or declassification of villages, this is the only one of the three technical committees to have ‘sovereign’ authority.
It meets twice a year.

> The Public Awareness and Communications Committee

Responsible for monitoring communication and promotional activities, it submits its reports and recommendations to the Executive Committee.
It meets once a year.

> The Development and Partnerships Committee

Responsible for monitoring initiatives to promote and market the villages’ tourism offering, it also submits its reports and recommendations to the Executive Committee.
It meets once a year.

Each of these committees is chaired by a member of the Executive Committee to whom the President of the association has delegated authority. They are composed of elected representatives from listed villages as well as external experts.

• Download the composition of the Board of Directors

• Download the composition of the Executive Committee

• Download the membership list of the Quality and Accreditation Committee

• Download the membership list of the Public Awareness and Communications Committee

• Download the membership list of the Development and Partnerships Committee

The technical
team

Under the authority of the Chair, a team comprising a Quality and Certification Manager, a Brand Awareness and Communications Manager, a Development and Partnerships Manager and an Administrative Assistant implements the association’s initiatives.

 

The budget

The network’s average annual budget amounts to approximately 600,000 euros and covers the organisation’s running costs as well as funding for Quality, Public Awareness and Development initiatives. It is made up as follows:

The financial contribution from each member local authority ranges from €1,200 to €4,800 per year and is calculated as follows:

• a flat rate of €1,200 for the first population bracket of up to 300 inhabitants,
• supplemented by a variable component of €2.50 per inhabitant for the population bracket exceeding 300 inhabitants.