Conurbations
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Conurbations |
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The
West Vlaanderen/ Flandre-Dunkirk-Côte d’Opale
European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC)
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This
structure consists of thirteen partners: The
EGTC is the result of a true cooperation policy between the Belgian
province of Flandre occidentale and the French territory of
Flandre-Dunkerque-Côte d’Opale. Since
the 1980's, these two territories have continually being moving closer
together. In 2005, an important step was taken with the formation of
the " West Vlaanderen / Flandre-Dunkerque-Côte
Platform", the first stage in the creation of a structural framework
for cooperation. Shortly after this, the partners decided to go even
further by setting up an EGTC.
Within
the framework of the Platform, a number of actions were encouraged in
areas such as culture, economy, local trade, health (establishment of a
cross-border PET-scan), employment and transport (introducing, for
example, a cross-border public transport card). In addition to this, a
socio-economic cross-border atlas has been published to help form
coherent common policies. Within
this context, the EGTC not only meets the need to strengthen the
working axes of the cross-border Platform and to start up new ones
(notably in the field of communication, etc.), but also to show the
European authorities that this territory wants to play a pioneer role
in cross-border cooperation. The EGTC acts with full respect for Franco-Belgian parity. This is the second EGTC formed on the French-Belgian border (after the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis in 2008) and is among the first in Europe.
Two questions to Michel Delebarre
Michel Delebarre
The EGTC
represents a
further stage in the cooperation between the
Flandre-Dunkirk-Côte d’Opale region and Flandre
occidentale. This cooperation, started in the 1980's, showed that we
had complementarities, a large number of similarities and problems in
common. A common approach
to
these issues, dialogue and exchanges proved to be necessary to advance
with truly sustainable development in the border region. As our concern
is to build together a Europe that will be closer to its citizens, we
have simply chosen to work on concrete issues by addressing matters
which primarily concern the daily lives of our inhabitants. In 2005 this
approach
was materialised through the formation of the informal cooperation
platform and today through the EGTC. The main mission of our grouping
is to simplify, promote and support efficient and coherent cross-border
cooperation within its territory. It provides cooperation through its
institutional, technical and financial strength. By bringing together
the different authorities on both sides of the border – from
the national level to the territorial level – it will become
easier for projects really working across the border to emerge and be
managed. The grouping will also be able to directly receive European
funds for its projects. The region will clearly display its
cross-border identity through the EGTC. Can
you give us some
examples of cross-border projects that you would like to implement? Among the
projects for
2009, which are either directly run or supported by the EGTC, we have
the Interreg IV projects on hospital cooperation, culture (4x4,
Vis-à-vis), tourism ("enhancement of the Westkust Flandre
Côte d’Opale coast"), rural life ("Lanscapes under
transformation"), pedestrian connections, communication, but also the
continuation of works on water management and the follow-up of the
cross-border thematic groups, a reflection on carbon neutral activity
areas or the extension of the Belgian tramway…
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