66

Public enterprises have a specific relationship with the State. This article pays close attention to the formal commitments between these firms and the State, drawing on the case of La Poste. A former public administrative body that became a public enterprise in 1991 and signed a contract formalizing its relation with the State, La Poste has gone from a public hierarchy within the State to an autonomous body that has seen a loosening of its relations with other entities of the State. This article highlights how the State contractualizes with postal services to maintain polarized missions. In the new context that emerges from the development of a public enterprise, formally separated from the State, this latter appears to be not only a shareholder but also a partner.