With the start of the 2022 marking the launch of France’s presidency of the European Union, it is an important time to champion the construction of a Europe that is closer to its citizens, a Europe of daily life, notably embodied by the cross-border territories, which contribute to cementing the European edifice.
After the AGUR(1), AGAPE(2) and the Saint-Omer AUD(3), the MOT has the pleasure of welcoming two new urban planning agencies into its network: the Besançon Centre Franche-Comté Urban Planning Agency (AUDAB) and the Atlantic-Pyrenees Urban Planning Agency (AUDAP).
At their joint municipal council meeting that took place on 1 December 2021, the cities of Strasbourg and Kehl signed a cooperation agreement aimed at stepping up their exchanges and working on new cross-border projects. This initiative encompasses the competences of the Strasbourg Eurometropolis, which is a signatory to the agreement, thus marking a recognition of involvement at the intermunicipal level in the cooperation between the cities and the construction of a cross-border conurbation.
At a time when the closure of borders highlights the issues relating to cross-border living areas and their cohesion, the provision of public services specific to these territories was the subject of a dedicated workshop at the FNAU’s last national conference.
The PFVT (Partenariat Français pour la Ville et les Territoires – French Partnership for Cities and Territories) is French urban development players’ platform for discussion and promotion of their expertise internationally.
Between June and September 2021, the MOT was commissioned by the Lille Metropolis Development and Urban Planning Agency (ADULM) to conduct an analysis of the consequences of the border restrictions in the territory of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis. The aim was to identify the issues highlighted and revealed by the crisis and the brakes on/levers for the development of the cross-border territory.
A large proportion of new urbanisation is concentrated in areas, more or less densely spread out, located on the edges of major urban conurbations. This phenomenon of "scattered" urbanisation encompasses scenarios as varied as the construction of periurban housing estates on the outskirts of big cities, the setting-up of economic activities far from urban centres and the development of small rural towns between two conurbations.
On the initiative of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis, the three EGTCs working along the Franco-Belgian border signed a memorandum addressed to France’s presidency of the EU.
From 1 January until 30 June 2022, France holds the presidency of the European Union Council, for the 13th time. At a press conference on 9 December, President Emmanuel Macron set out the presidency’s three main themes: "recovery", "power" and "belonging". On this last point, he emphasised that the feeling of belonging to the European region had "declined" in France, as in other EU countries.
On 7 December in Brussels, the French Health Minister, Olivier Véran, and his Spanish counterpart, Carolina Darias, signed a declaration of intent concerning the cross-border hospital in Puigcerdá, which sets out the framework for cooperation with respect to healthcare professionals practising between the two countries.
At its annual plenary council meeting on 13 December in Alp, in Cerdanya, the members of the Communauté de Travail des Pyrénées (CTP – Working Community of the Pyrenees) unveiled a new “Pyrenees Climate Change Strategy” (EPiCC).
On 14 December 2021, the European Commission presented to the European Parliament its proposals for new rules to strengthen the governance of the Schengen Area. The draft regulation, which sets forth a "Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders", specifically takes account of "cross-border regions".
The Alzette Belval EGTC has unveiled its new cross-border strategy for the next six years.
As part of its special report on border exchanges, the Journal des Français à l'étranger has been investigating the difficulties faced by cross-border workers on a daily basis.
A new MOT working group was launched on 14 December 2021, with 35 participants from varied backgrounds and sectors (protected natural areas, energy, transport, etc.).
On the occasion of the 42nd national meetings of the FNAU*, the MOT jointly led a workshop with the Agence d’Urbanisme Atlantique et Pyrénées (AUDAP) on the topic of public service provision and access in cross-border contexts.
On 25 November, a new resolution submitted by Antoine Herth, MP for the Bas-Rhin, for the development of better cross-border health cooperation between France and its neighbouring countries, has been adopted by the French National Assembly.
Lack of accessibility by public transport remains a major obstacle to opening up isolated European border regions. It is on the basis of this observation that the European Commission launched in 2020 a comprehensive study to identify all existing services on European borders.
This autumn, and for the second consecutive year, the MOT organised nine “territorial meetings”, so as to keep in close contact with the members of its network, and involve them in preparing its annual programme. Held successively in Besançon, Strasbourg, Lille, Annemasse, Charleville-Mézières, Nice, Urrugne, Perpignan and Metz, both virtually and in person, the meetings brought together close to 200 participants in total.
Together with its partners*, the MOT is currently working on behalf of the European Commission to produce the first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) devoted to European Territorial Cooperation (ETC).
Initiated by Anne Sander MEP, the European Parliament's pilot project "Cross-Border Crisis Response Integrated Initiative" (CBCRII) has just been approved. It can now be implemented by DG REGIO.
On the eve of France’s presidency of the EU, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and the head of the Italian government, Mario Draghi, have signed in Rome a bilateral cooperation treaty, the “Quirinal Treaty”. Sixty years after the signature of the Franco-German Élysée Treaty, this “friendship pact” is historical and marks the desire, at the highest level of state, to advance Franco-Italian cross-border cooperation.
Continuing a collaboration going back 30 years, the territories located south of Monte Viso (3,841 metres), the iconic mountain in the Southern Alps, are structuring their cooperation within the framework of an integrated territorial plan supported by the ALCOTRA programme, known as “Terres Monviso”.
On 5 November 2021, the MOT team had the pleasure of hosting the partners of the integrated territorial plan known as GraiesLab – Active And Innovative Rural Generations – in their offices for a work meeting.
On 19 November, the French President Emmanuel Macron came to the Avesnois and the Thiérache to sign a second-generation contract between the French state and the territory.
