MOT
The MOT network in Besançon
October 2019Cross-border metropolitan cooperation initiatives were spotlighted at the MOT network’s day-long meeting, co-organised with the Greater Besançon Metropolis, on 25 September.
Cross-border metropolitan cooperation initiatives were spotlighted at the MOT network’s day-long meeting, co-organised with the Greater Besançon Metropolis, on 25 September.
On 22 September 2019, amateur and professional cyclists from either side of the Rhine set off to discover the territory of the Strasbourg-Ortenau Eurodistrict during a cross-border cycle ride.
With an exploration of the imbalances between the productive and residential economies, the Jura Arc Cross-Border Forum ended its thematic series of discussions on the economy involving all the members of its committee.
"How can we encourage citizens in border regions to take part in the discussions about the future of Europe?" This is one of the questions at the heart of the "TEIN4citizens" project being implemented by nine partners from the TEIN network.
Editorial by Tristan Atmania, Deputy Director of the Territorial Attractiveness and Competitiveness Department – Saint-Avold Conurbation: "In this crucial year for Europe, our territory of the Moselle, at the crossroads of the founding countries of the European Union, and also of the Saar-Lor-Lux Greater Region, is at a turning point in its history. In this respect, the cross-border cooperation that is already being forged in all areas of daily life represents a major asset to be developed in the context of the competition that we face with the other regions of the world. [...]"
Individual decisions carry important weight in a world brimming over with vitality. Decisions that affect many people and that, taken together, have an impact on certain regions’ demographic developments and economic strength. Such changes can only be managed if we are willing to evolve. The Saint-Avold Conurbation is rising to this challenge and is taking advantage of synergies to pool skills for the benefit of all.
The MOT has produced a study with the aim of informing the Lille European Metropolis about the socioeconomic features of Belgian Flanders, and the way its economic fabric and employment sector function.
On 2 September, the leaders of nine Swiss border regions sent a letter to the President of the European Commission in which they expressed their concerns about the state of the relationship between the European Union and Switzerland. They fear that a rejection in a referendum of the framework agreement would undermine the basis of the bilateral treaties – with adverse economic consequences for the border regions.
Within the framework of a project funded by the Interreg V France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen programme, the cities of Tournai, Mons, Courtrai and the Lille European Metropolis have set themselves the challenge of strengthening and stimulating the development of their city centres by making use of design.
On 18 July 2019, framework agreement concerning the cross-border intervention of emergency services was signed by the Belgian Minister of the Interior, Pieter De Crem, and his French counterpart, Christophe Castaner.
This practical guide, published by the secretariat of the Sahel and West Africa Club, has been produced with assistance from the MOT. It offers many insights on the legislative and financial levers for developing cross-border initiatives on resilience to climate change in West Africa.
Yann Dubois, Editions Alphil-Presses universitaires suisses, Collection "Espaces, mobilités et sociétés" No. 9, 613 pp, 2019 - in French.
Following the Communication "Boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions” in September 2017, DG REGIO has been trying to identify existing cross-border information centres (Interreg funded or otherwise) that aim to give information to inhabitants who regularly cross a border, on topics such as work, tax and social security.
The proceedings of the MOT’s annual conference that took place on 21 March 2019 as part of its general assembly in Annemasse and Geneva are online on the MOT’s website.
Designed to be the entry point to find out about European funds in France, the new website gives access to: a resource centre, the information platform on state aid in France, the information platform for the Europe urban network, and the official webpage of the EMFF programme.
Published by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, this guide aims "to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the rules that apply to this type of intervention by local authorities, acting on their own initiative within the framework of multilevel diplomacy".
Local and regional elected representatives are calling on the European Commission to provide more incentives at their respective levels to promote cross-border cooperation in the area of risk reduction. An opinion of the European Committee of The Regions to this effect was adopted on 27 June in Brussels.
The bill providing for the creation of the National Territorial Cohesion Agency in France was adopted on 9 July in its final reading in the Assemblée Nationale. The Agency will be operational from 1 January 2020.
On 26 June 2019, the General Commission for Territorial Equality (CGET) hosted, with support from the MOT, another meeting of the Cross-Border Strategic Committee on observation (CSC).
On 13 June 2019, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Vice-President of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, presented a report entitled "Fair distribution of taxes in trans-frontier areas". It will be submitted for adoption at the 37th Congress session in October.
In the context of the preparation of its 2021-2027 programmes, DG REGIO has drawn up 38 Border Orientation Papers (BOPs) for all of the EU’s land borders. Six of these BOPs relate to France’s borders.
"One of the main features of the French department of the Ardennes is without doubt its proximity to Belgium. This proximity is geographical, of course, but also cultural, historical, economic and societal.
In May 2019, Ardenne Métropole and the Belgian association of municipalities Idelux embarked on the drawing-up of a “Strategic plan for the development of the cross-border territory of the Franco-Belgian Ardennes”.