« Cross-border policy is an issue of primary importance for the development of our border territories, which concern no less than 16 regions, 28 departments and some ten million French citizens.
There is an urgent need to respond to the economic distortions that we observe on either side of our borders, to encourage the establishment of businesses on these territories, to generate employment there and, more broadly, to meet the needs of the citizens who live there and are confronted every day with border issues.
These affect very various but very practical areas, such as transport, health, services to the public, taxation and social services.
Today the difficulties encountered, sometimes even the "barriers" raised, need to be transformed into opportunities and "development systems". All this takes on a particular dimension in the context of the constitution of a "Europe of territories", which we must bring closer to the day-to-day concerns of its citizens.
Therefore we have great expectations of the parliamentary commission initiated by the prime minister in December to draw up an inventory of cross-border cooperation and put forward proposals for taking better advantage of the opportunities in the cross-border territories.
There is thus a substantial challenge to achieve a better balance between the territories on either side of our borders! And it is with great attention that we will follow the results of this work, expected by next spring. »
Source: Cross-border news, No.56, February 2010
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