Article from the daily newspaper Le Monde published after the signing of the Treaty on European Union in Maastricht on 7 February 1992 and before its entry into force on 1 November 1993. Following the Maastricht amendments, the Treaty establishing the European Community gives rise to a new Community body with advisory status, consisting of representatives of regional and local bodies (previously Article 198a, now Article 263 following the Amsterdam amendment). On this occasion, the author of the article considers the future of a body for which responsibilities will vary considerably according to its composition.