The trade-union committee Missions, Functioning and Commissions

Its objectives?

Coherent development for quality tourism: this is the main objective that unites the 11 communes bordering the Serre-Ponçon basin in the Hautes-Alpes, namely : Baratier, Crots, Embrun, Savines-le-Lac, Le Sauze du Lac, Prunières, Puy[S1] -Sanières, Chorges, Rousset, Lauzet-Ubaye and Ubaye Serre-Ponçon.

What does it do?

The main mission of the S.M.A.DE.S.E.P. is to manage and carry out all operations for the enhancement, development of tourism, environmental protection and development of the area within its territorial jurisdiction.

Within this framework, it is responsible for :

1. Structure and consolidate the tourism offer, mainly nautical, by :

• ensuring the qualitative development of pleasure boating, within the framework of balanced management of uses organized on the reservoir,

• ensuring the complementarity and necessary diversification of the local tourism economy,

• supporting the professionalization of those involved,

• aiming for recognition of Serre-Ponçon through the labeling of its nautical sites.

2. Protect and better manage aquatic resources, by :

• contributing to the implementation of the "Serre-Ponçon / Haute-Durance" watershed contract, within the scope of its statutory powers,

• guaranteeing the sustainable development of water-based tourism,

• coordinating its actions with water resource users throughout the Durance watershed.

3. To provide sustainable solutions to the tourism and environmental issues specific to the confluence of the Durance and Ubaye rivers.

It also has the authority to promote its own actions, without any territorial constraints.

Who does what?

A team of 7 administrative staff and 6 technical agents carry out all the Syndicat's operating missions. Seasonal employees and service providers reinforce this permanent workforce during the summer period, to ensure the proper management of the ports and surveillance and daily cleaning of the lake's 8 public beaches.

In accordance with its bylaws, the actions and achievements of the S.M.A.DE.SE.P. are self-financed by the Alpes de Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes departments, through a contribution amounting to half of the membership fees paid to the Syndicat.

The three inter-municipal member organizations together contribute the other half of this statutory fee. It is determined on the basis of four criteria, applied exclusively to the lake-side Communes belonging to each of these inter-municipalities, as follows :

• 1/4 in proportion to overall fiscal potential (updated annually),

• 1/4 in proportion to population (general population census),

• 1/4 in proportion to the length of communal shoreline (at 780 m NGF lake level),

• 1/4 in proportion to the length of the communal banks that can be developed (at 780 m NGF lake level). This total of 14.31 kilometers determines the geographical area within which the S.M.A.DE.SE.P. is authorized to undertake shoreline development work and set up water sports facilities. It may be revised by a 2/3 majority vote of the Comité Syndical.

However, the contributions made by all the public bodies making up the S.M.A.DE.SE.P. represent only part of its resources, which come mainly from port operations (rental of moorings, fuel sales at pontoon service stations, public domain occupation fees paid by activity providers).

As with all public bodies, the governance of the public establishment is ensured by a Board of Directors (known as the Comité syndical), which brings together the elected representatives of the communities making up the syndicat mixte. The functioning of this assembly is governed by internal regulations, which, revised by deliberation n°2020-40 of November 10, 2020, better define the organizational and institutional functioning of the public establishment.

What areas does the S.M.A.DE.SE.P. cover?

The S.M.A.DE.SE.P. has jurisdiction over the communal areas of the member Communes of the EPCIs bordering the Lac de Serre-Ponçon, i.e. :

• Below elevation 784 m NGF, on land conceded to Electricité de France, made available to the syndicat mixte by agreement,

• On the slopes of Lac de Serre-Ponçon, on land made available to the syndicat mixte by the Département des Hautes-Alpes,

• As well as on any plot of land outside this area of competence, specially made available or transferred to the syndicat mixte for the exercise of its material competences.

Each syndical delegate, designated by deliberation of the SMADESEP member local authority, may be represented by a substitute councillor.

The Comité syndical meets at least once a quarter in ordinary session. The deliberative assembly bases its decisions on proposals from the bureau, the tendering (or contracts) commission, the public service delegation commission and the three consultative commissions it has set up for Communication/Commercialization, Tourism and the Lake Observatory.

At the request of the Comité Syndical, the advisory commissions examine matters submitted to them by the Chairman. In particular, they are empowered to initiate or prepare reports on draft resolutions concerning their sector of activity. They are also responsible for supporting the implementation and follow-up of SMADESEP decisions in the field, through local consultation. The commissions bring together, as required, qualified personalities from the technical departments of local authorities, public establishments or administrations, expert groups, professional organizations or associations, and SMADESEP's partners for the sector of activity concerned. Each "extra-union" commission includes by right the Chairman (or his representative), four Syndicat Mixte Councillors (who may be represented by their respective deputies), and the SMADESEP Director. (or his representative). The latter acts as secretary to the meetings. To ensure that the deliberative assembly is as representative as possible, and to guarantee that the Syndicat Mixte's delegates are sufficiently available to carry out their duties on each commission, the four directors from the Syndicat Mixte are, as far as possible, appointed only once to sit on the various extra-union commissions.

A SMADESEP resolution sets the delegations of the Syndicate Councillors to each commission. These commissions may appoint their own Rapporteurs, who may not be members of the Comité Syndical. In this case, the Rapporteurs of each commission are invited to attend the deliberative meetings of the Syndicat Mixte, so that they can relay to the Council members, if necessary, the content of the work carried out by the commissions. Commissions have no decision-making powers, and their opinions are adopted by a majority of members present, with no quorum required.

Committee meetings are not open to the public, but may involve, as and when required, any interlocutor deemed relevant by the Chairman of the S.M.A.D.E.S.E.P. or by the Rapporteur of the committee concerned.

SMADESEP was appointed by EDF to manage the public hydroelectric domain of Serre-Ponçon, granted to the company under the 1955 law creating the Durance facilities, and hence the dam.

Following on from several partnerships formalized as early as 1999, the "framework" agreement of June 16, 2008 considerably strengthens the existing links between SMADESEP and EDF until the end of the EDF concession in 2052.

For all the socio-professional players working around this beautiful reservoir, it is essential to have a long-term commitment to their project, to ensure the sustainable and harmonious development of their activities, to design longer-term projects and commit to investments, to gain peace of mind in day-to-day life, and to imagine the future with a commitment to quality.

This is why - in concrete terms - the Temporary Occupancy Permits issued to them since 2008 are now for 10 years.

For SMADESEP, bringing precise, fair rules to life, sharing them and ensuring that they are respected by everyone, in order to preserve the beauty of the site and retain control over its development, requires commitment, conviction and time.

To this end, a charter of good conduct specifying the conditions for occupying the shores of Lac de Serre-Ponçon applies to everyone. It guarantees respect for the beauty of the site and control over its development.

For local elected representatives and decision-makers, local economic development cannot be built or imagined overnight. Through this partnership, by facilitating access to the riverbanks and creating conditions conducive to the long-term survival of activities, and by ensuring high-quality development, EDF and SMADESEP offer them a commitment to proximity, guaranteed over the long term.

Finally, for EDF, the opportunity to build lasting trust is a guarantee of further progress in sharing our respective challenges, and of taking the time to understand and anticipate the new challenges and expectations surrounding the use of water.