News

NATIONAL LEVEL

Zoom on cross-border issues for the prefects of the Grand Est region

TERRITORIES

The first Sambre-Avesnois Sud-Hainaut cross-border assembly met in Maubeuge

April 11th 2025 marks an important milestone for Franco-Belgian cooperation: the official creation of the Sambre-Avesnois Sud-Hainaut cross-border assembly. The MOT was present for this inauguration, which followed the signing of a cooperation agreement*.

MOT

MOT mission for the Banque des territoires on land use efficiency: feedback on the Dunkirk workshop!

On January 30th, 2025, a cross-border workshop was held in Dunkirk on the subject of land preservation. This workshop took place as part of a mission that the MOT is carrying out for the Banque des territoires, in order to analyse the impact of limited-land-use policies on the French-Flemish cross-border territory, with a focus on the Dunkirk area and the province of West Flanders.

MOT

The MOT supporting Sambre Avesnois Sud Hainaut

On November 25th, 2024, in Erquelinnes, Belgium, the MOT led a workshop on cross-border mobility as part of the ‘Sambre Avesnois Sud Hainaut’ cooperation strategy. Following a presentation by the MOT of a territorial analysis of cross-border mobility, some thirty elected representatives and technicians from both sides of the border discussed the challenges of improving rail and road links to meet the daily needs of the French-Belgian population.

EUROPE

The OECD report ‘Building More Resilient Cross-border Regions’ is now available!

In collaboration with the European Commission, the OECD’s new report shows that well-designed and well-resourced cross-border governance bodies can help unlock the development potential of border regions.

NATIONAL LEVEL

An INSEE study provides a detailed analysis of the journeys made by cross-border workers on France's borders

In 2021, border workers travel an average of 34 km to get to work, compared with 14 km for non-border workers living in the same areas. The majority go by car. 18% of them have journeys of 50 km or more, and there are significantly more of these long journeys than in 2010.

MOT

The MOT launches the 'Cross-border Zoom', its first publication on cross-border observation!

As part of its mission to analyse and support border territories, the MOT is launching a new series of publications dedicated to cross-border monitoring. This first issue is devoted to a key topic: the dynamics of the economy and employment in cross-border contexts, and more specifically the flows of cross-border workers on the French borders. In French only.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Unemployment benefits for cross-border workers - Unédic report

Each year, the compensation system for cross-border workers represents an additional cost of around 800 M€ for the French unemployment insurance scheme. Following the publication of its report, the Unédic, that manages French unemployment insurance, is calling for a renegotiation of agreements with neighboring countries.

MOT

The MOT leads a workshop at the FNAU meeting in Saint-Omer

At the invitation of its partner, the French Network of Urban Planning Agencies (FNAU), the MOT led a one-day workshop as part of the 45th national meeting of urban planning agencies, which took place in Saint-Omer from the 9th to 11th of October 2024. Organised by an MOT network member, the Pays de Saint-Omer urban planning, development and heritage agency (AUD), the theme of the event was ‘public spaces’.

MOT

A look back on the MOT GA: in Dunkirk, stakeholders in cross-border cooperation support a Europe of cohesion beyond borders!

More than a hundred stakeholders from all over France gathered in Dunkirk and on the Franco-Belgian border on September 17th and 18th, 2024, for the MOT's general assembly, at the invitation of its members: the Dunkirk Urban Community (Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque), the Nord Department and the Flanders-Dunkirk Urban Planning Agency. The event was an opportunity to highlight the richness and uniqueness of cross-border cooperation on the Franco-Flemish coast, while reaffirming the importance of cooperation in the face of the common challenges faced by border territories!

TERRITORIES

Cross-border flood management: what the report by François Decoster has to say

Following the floods in inland Flanders in November 2023 and January 2024, which necessitated the activation of the "MAGETEAUX" plan*, the President of the French Republic entrusted François Decoster, Mayor of Saint-Omer, with a mission to analyze our neighbors' flood prevention and management practices and policies.

TERRITORIES

A documentary series on the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis

To mark its fifteenth anniversary, the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis has interviewed all its stakeholders to retrace the history of the EGTC and outline its future horizons: "elected representatives, partners, technicians, members of civil society... they have all responded to this invitation to look back at the history of the Eurometropolis". The first three episodes are available on the Eurometropolis’s YouTube channel.

MOT

Did you say "cross-border living areas"?

For over a year, the MOT has been conducting an experiment on “cross-border living areas”, supported by seventeen partners in five pilot sites. You can now consult the final report and download our infographic of the study's key takeaways. Don't forget to register for our webinar on June 5th!

MOT

Cross-border projects for the future of the Franco-Belgian border

Discover our project sheets published to coincide with the MOT General Assembly in Dunkirk on June 27th and 28th!

TERRITORIES

A successful cross-border citizens' dialogue at Callicanes

The European elections in June 2024 place cross-border territories and the challenges of “everyday Europe” at the heart of the debate. To mark the occasion, the MOT has launched a dialogue with border citizens, focusing on local, cross-border and European issues. And the West-Vlaanderen - Flanders-Dunkerque-Côte d'Opale EGTC has responded by organizing a citizens' dialogue on its territory:

NATIONAL LEVEL

Health: what cross-border cooperation objectives for border regions?

Law 2016-41 of 26 January 2016 on the modernisation of France's healthcare system introduced a new "Regional Health Project" (PRS), maintained in principle, with three new components: a 10-year Strategic Orientation Framework (COS), a single 5-year Regional Health Scheme (SRS) and a Regional Programme on Access to Prevention and Care for the Most Deprived (PRAPS).

TERRITORIES

Cross-border challenges for the "Pact for the Sambre-Avesnois-Thiérache territory"

On March 12th, the MOT visited the sub-prefecture of Vervins, in the Aisne department, for a meeting on the cross-border issues facing the "Pact for the Sambre-Avesnois-Thiérache territory", attended by the SGAR, the Hauts-de-France region, the sub-prefectures of Avesnes-sur-Helpe and Vervins, the Aisne and Nord departments and the territory's EPCIs (public establishments of intercommunal cooperation).

EUROPE

MIE-E: three projects on French borders

On January 25th, 2024, the European Commission announced that it had granted €594 million to eight cross-border energy infrastructure projects. Of these, three are in France, and two are on the Franco-Belgian border.

MOT

"Cross-border living areas" experiment: initial courses of action developed with local players

For almost a year, the MOT, supported by sixteen partners, has been conducting a "cross-border living areas" experiment on five pilot sites on the French borders: PAMINA Eurodistrict (French-German border), the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis (French-Belgian border), Nord Lorrain - Luxembourg (French-Luxembourg border), Southern Alps - Riviera (French-Italian-Monegasque border) and Franco-Vaud-Geneva conurbation (French-Swiss border)

TERRITORIES

Development of cross-border transport under the Grand Est CPER

The 2023-2027 State-Region Plan Contract (CPER) for the Grand Est region provides for more than €2.1 billion in funding for its mobility component.

TERRITORIES

Final committee for the MOT mission on the "Ardennes Cross-Border Strategy"

The French and Belgian members of the "Ardennes Cross-Border Strategy" (Stratégie de l'Ardenne Transfrontalière) met on November 9th, 2023 for a strategic committee meeting at the Convention Center in Vieilles-Forges (Ardennes).

TERRITORIES

Discover the project of the month

To highlight concrete cross-border initiatives, the MOT publishes a new project sheet every month. Discover the project sheet for November, following the meeting of the network's "Cross-border ecological transition" working group.

MOT

What could water management look like for cross-border watersheds?

On October 17th, 2023, the MOT network's "Cross-border ecological transition" working group held its 5th meeting. This was an opportunity to investigate issues linked to cross-border management of water resources in the context of climate change.

EUROPE

EURegionsWeek - Feedback on the "Cross-border living areas" workshop

This workshop, organized by the PAMINA Eurodistrict with the participation of the MOT, the Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino Euroregion and the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis, was held on October 11th as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities.

TERRITORIES

Sambre Avesnois territory: Cooperation taking shape!

On July 6th, the MOT led the final steering committee of the study conducted with its member, the Maubeuge Val de Sambre conurbation, on a strategy for the cross-border Sambre Avesnois.