News

TERRITORIES

Editorial by Michel Charrat, President of the European Cross-Border Grouping: "Greater Geneva at last!"

TERRITORIES

The Léman Express – "a real transport revolution"

The launch of the Léman Express on 15 December 2019 is “a real transport revolution”, according to Greater Geneva’s elected representatives. Made possible by a new 16km central section of track between Cornavin, Eaux-Vives and Annemasse (CEVA), what is now the largest cross-border regional rail network in Europe links up two Swiss cantons and two French departments. It has taken eight years and €1.8 billion worth of investment to complete.

MOT

Meeting of the MOT network: an ambitious programme for 2020

The MOT network met on 12 December 2019 in Paris in the offices of the Caisse des Dépôts, around the meetings of the Board and the Steering Committee. The discussions were an opportunity to report on the findings of the questionnaire on "Communicating the needs of the MOT network to the national level", and to launch an ambitious work programme for the coming year, with a number of key projects.

MOT

Meetings of players involved in Franco-Italian cross-border cooperation: the Sud Region mobilises

In order to make a preliminary assessment of past Interreg programmes and to plan for the future, the Sud Region (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) organised, in partnership with the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Hautes-Alpes and Var Departments, a series of three meetings with ALCOTRA and MARITTIMO project developers.

TERRITORIES

Annual summary of the Greater Geneva Cross-Border Statistical Observatory

The Greater Geneva Cross-Border Statistical Observatory has just published its 2019 summary: “The Geneva cross-border area continues to see demographic and economic growth: demographic growth is strong in the Geneva cross-border area (1.6% annually between 2011 and 2016), and is significantly higher than both the Swiss and French averages (1.1% and 0.4% respectively). This large territory […] is now home to more than a million people.”

TERRITORIES

The low-carbon transition takes shape in Europe’s straits

On 22 November 2019, the Pas-de-Calais Department hosted the closing conference of the PASSAGE project in Arras. The MOT took part in it.

PUBLICATION

Historical atlas "Aller et venir, transports et mobilité dans le Pays de Genève"

Claude Barbier, Pierre-François Schwarz, published by La Salévienne, 2019. (Translation of the title: "Coming and Going – Transport and Mobility in the Geneva Area")

MOT

Revitalisation of inner cities in the Greater Region

On 21 November 2019 the UniGR – Center for Border Studies held in Esch-sur-Alzette, in Luxembourg, its fourth Greater Region Forum, on the topic "Revitalisation of inner cities in the Greater Region". In the light of the pressure on the retail sector in the Greater Region, as well as in other cross-border regions, the discussions focused on the organisation of retailers in the face of this competition, on consumer behaviour and on possible avenues for co-development.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Authority of Alsace and cross-border cooperation: what does the Act say?

The Act (No. 2019-816) of 2 August 2019 concerning the competences of the European Territorial Authority of Alsace (CEA) ratified the creation of this new territorial authority arising from the merger of the French Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin Departments on 1 January 2021.

TERRITORIES

A 2030 strategy for the Upper Rhine Trinational Metropolitan Region

The 2030 strategy for the Upper Rhine Trinational Metropolitan Region was signed in Basel on 22 November. “We want to be a model region for Europe and to make visible and tangible the benefits that Europe provides day by day. To do this, we will continue to develop excellence in the economic and scientific field, to strengthen structures of cross-border cooperation and to develop new potential,” the political representatives affirmed on this occasion.

MOT

The MOT holds its first webinar, on the topic of cross-border public services

Around 30 people took part in the first webinar organised by the MOT in partnership with the ESPON programme, on 21 November 2019, on the topic: "Potentials of Cross-border Public Services for French and Neighbouring Border Regions".

MOT

Network day in Lille on cross-border mobility

At the invitation of the MOT, the CNFPT (National Centre for Territorial Public Administration) and the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis, 40 people gathered on 13 November in Lille to talk about cross-border transportation. The three sessions focused on: the need for the observation of flows and the reasons for travelling (work, shopping, leisure, healthcare); the challenges encountered in drawing up cross-border mobility strategies; and the breaking-down of the strategies into territorial projects.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Meeting of the National Mountain Council on cross-border issues

The National Mountain Council is a consultative body, established by the Montagne Act, that has a proposal-making role with respect to setting goals for the development, spatial planning and protection of mountain ranges. It is made up of parliamentarians and representatives from the regions and departments of the six mountain ranges in metropolitan France (the Alps, Corsica, the Jura, the Massif Central, the Pyrenees and the Vosges) and the three overseas mountain ranges, social professionals and representatives from the voluntary sector. The General Commission for Territorial Equality provides its general secretariat.

TERRITORIES

France-United Kingdom: for strengthened cooperation between local authorities

The successful bids for the call for projects “France-United Kingdom: for a strengthened cooperation between our local authorities” launched by the British Embassy in France, with the support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have been announced.

TERRITORIES

A cross-border waste water treatment plant between Belgium and Luxembourg

On 30 October 2019, the construction site of a new cross-border waste water treatment plant was presented to the public – a large-scale project on the border between Belgium and Luxembourg.

EUROPE

A Council of Europe resolution on the distribution of taxes in cross-border areas

On 29 October, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution entitled “Fair distribution of taxes in transfrontier areas”. In the report presented by Karl-Heinz Lambertz, the Congress calls for greater cooperation between the countries concerned on this issue.

PUBLICATION

Territorial diplomacy and cross-border cooperation: the case of France’s border

"The study of developments since the 1980s raises questions about the role and place of territorial authorities in an international system involving diverse players, and prompts a rethinking, by means of infra-State players, of the historical roles of diplomacy: representing and negotiating." The article ["Diplomatie territoriale et coopération transfrontalière : Le cas des frontières françaises"] analyses this diplomacy in the cross-border context along France’s borders."

TERRITORIES

The Nord Department celebrates 30 years of cross-border cooperation

On Monday, 21 October 2019 at the Stablinski Velodrome in Roubaix, the Nord Department, West Flanders Province and Hainaut Province celebrated 30 years of cross-border cooperation.

EUROPE

Sign the joint declaration on healthcare in cross-border regions!

The network of European Regional and Local Health Authorities (EUREGHA) and the Healthacross initiative have published a joint declaration aimed at promoting cross-border cooperation in the area of healthcare, and at putting forward political recommendations.

EUROPE

Assessing the territorial impact of cross-border cooperation

The ESPON programme has published its new report about Territorial Impact Assessment for Cross-Border Cooperation – TIA CBC.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Signature in Toulouse of a Franco-German declaration

The 21st Franco-German Council of Ministers took place in Toulouse on 16 October 2019, bringing together France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as well as the French and German ministers. On this occasion, and following on from the Aachen Treaty, the “Franco-German Declaration of Toulouse” was signed, which reaffirms the commitments made at the highest level of government with respect to Franco-German cooperation.

EUROPE

Energy, citizenship, the ECBM, observation: major topics at the heart of the workshops attended by the MOT

At the 2019 edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities, which brought together over 9,000 participants in Brussels, the MOT ran a workshop entitled "No country is an island: joint cross-border strategies for a clean energy transition".

MOT

Study for the EIB - Identifying cross-border investment projects in Europe

Between November 2018 and July 2019, the MOT and CESCI (the Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives) collaborated on producing a study for the European Investment Bank and its European Investment Advisory Hub.

PUBLICATION

"A multidimensional measurement of the integration between European border regions"

Cross-border integration in Europe is a complex and multifaceted process that has contrasting impacts on border regions. In this article, the authors provide, with the aid of statistical indicators, an analysis of cross-border integration along the EU’s internal borders, highlighting the similarities and discrepancies that can be observed between different territories.

MOT

Congress of Local Public Enterprises in Strasbourg

On 9 October 2019, the Federation of Local Public Enterprises (EPL) held its annual congress in Strasbourg, bringing together EPL from all over France.