French regions serve as the highest tier of subnational administration in France's five-level system. Since the 2016 territorial reform, metropolitan France contains 13 regions, each governed by an elected regional council and president. Regions hold primary responsibility for economic development, transportation infrastructure including regional rail networks, secondary and vocational education through lycées, and territorial planning. They manage substantial budgets derived from taxation and state transfers to fund these competencies. The regional tier coordinates long-term strategic planning across multiple departments while promoting economic growth and managing European Union structural funds allocated to their territories. Regional governments work alongside the state prefect, who represents the national government, creating a dual administrative structure characteristic of French territorial organization.