News

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.

TERRITORIES

Editorial by Pascal Curie, Vice-President of the Greater Besançon Metropolis in charge of forward planning, regional development and strategy for the territory

The Greater Besançon Metropolis is particular in being the first major urban centre one gets to when coming from the Swiss Jura Arc, while at the same time being relatively far away from it. The Jura mountain range is both a geographical obstacle and a territorial asset; indeed, the border region is a well-preserved area with a wealth of shared natural and cultural features.

MOT

The MOT network in Besançon

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.

TERRITORIES

Another perspective on the economy of the Jura Arc region

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.

EUROPE

Switzerland's border regions write to the Commission

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.

PUBLICATION

Borders and mobility in day-to-day life: ways of life in the Basel trinational conurbation

Yann Dubois, Editions Alphil-Presses universitaires suisses, Collection "Espaces, mobilités et sociétés" No. 9, 613 pp, 2019 - in French.

EUROPE

The Commission has circulated orientation papers by border

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.

TERRITORIES

Healthcare cooperation: concrete progress

PUBLICATION

Large increase in cross-border workers working in Switzerland and Luxembourg

In 2015, more than 360,000 inhabitants of border areas in France worked in a neighbouring country, near to the border. The economic dynamism of neighbouring countries such as Luxembourg, Switzerland and Monaco, together with the salaries offered, have encouraged working-age people living in France’s border areas to go and work there.

PUBLICATION

"L'Europe par les territoires", a publication by the FNAU – focus on the cross-border dimension

The latest publication by the French Network of Urban Planning Agencies (FNAU), entitled "L'Europe par les territoires" (“Europe by its territories”) feeds into the debate about Europe and provides different views on the issues relating to cohesion policy and the way in which cities and territories have appropriated the European ideal and the tools of this policy. The MOT contributed to it and several cross-border territories are showcased in it.

MOT

MOT article on cross-border public services

The magazine "Intercommunalités" of the Assemblée des Communautés de France (AdCF – Assembly of France’s Communities) has published in its issue 238 an article written by the MOT: "Concevoir les services publics transfrontaliers" ("Designing cross-border public services").

MOT

The MOT’s network in Greater Geneva

The MOT held its general assembly and annual conference on 20-21 March 2019 in Annemasse and Geneva, bringing together 140 participants, at the invitation of Annemasse Agglo, the Metropolitan Pole of the French Genevois, the Greater Geneva LGCC and the Republic and Canton of Geneva. Around the meetings of the MOT’s bodies, a conference on cross-border investment and field visits were organised.

TERRITORIES

Greater Geneva - a special dossier

To mark its general assembly in Annemasse and Geneva, the MOT is publishing a special issue of its newsletter focusing on Greater Geneva.

TERRITORIES

Editorial from Christian Dupessey, Mayor of Annemasse, President of Annemasse Agglo, Vice-President of the MOT and Jean Denais, Mayor of Thonon-les-Bains, President of the Metropolitan Pole of the French Genevois

TERRITORIES

Greater Geneva - A special dossier: Interview with Anna-Karina Kolb, Director of the External and Federal Department of the Republic and Canton of Geneva

TERRITORIES

Greater Geneva - A special dossier: Cross-border employment: the point of view of Michel Charrat, President of the European Cross-Border Grouping

The European Cross-Border Grouping (Groupement Transfrontalier Européen) is a non-profit association that represents 32,500 cross-border workers along the Franco-Swiss border.

NATIONAL LEVEL

European Territorial Authority of Alsace – towards a principle of differentiation

The French decree establishing the European Territorial Authority of Alsace through the merger of the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin Departments was published on 28 February. The new authority will come into being on 1 February 2021.

TERRITORIES

A new website for the Basel Trinational Eurodistrict

The Basel Trinational Eurodistrict brings together the three countries of the Basel conurbation with over 900,000 inhabitants. A member of the MOT since 2005, it was the first trinational Eurodistrict to be created in Europe.

TERRITORIES

The Grand Est Region's cross-border strategic orientations

In December, the Grand Est Region published a brochure setting out its strategic orientations in the area of cross-border cooperation.

TERRITORIES

Cross-border issues at the heart of the Grand Est Region's SRADDET

After two years of co-construction, the elected representatives of the Grand Est Region presented the major elements of the Region’s SRADDET at an event in Metz on 30 November 2018.

TERRITORIES

Seminar on cross-border taxation

A seminar on the fair distribution of taxes and social security contributions in cross-border areas was held on 25 October in Geneva by the FEDRE Foundation and the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

MOT

Outcomes of the cross-border citizen consultations

The MOT, and the Jacques Delors Institute have in a 50-page document compiled a summary of the five cross-border citizen consultations that they held with local partners.

TERRITORIES

Citizens’ consultations on the Franco-Swiss border

Two cross-border citizens’ consultations were held on 18-19 September 2018 by the MOT, the Jacques Delors Institute, the European Cross-Border Grouping and the Metropolitan Pole of the French Genevois in Saint-Genis-Pouilly and Annemasse. Around 50 citizens attended on both days to talk about their day-to-day experience of the border and express their expectations and wishes with regard to Greater Geneva and the EU.

TERRITORIES

France-Switzerland: "Back to work for cross-border workers"

In a press release issued in September, the European Cross-Border Grouping provides updates on the major issues of the autumn for Franco-Swiss cross-border workers, such as the “national preference lite” introduced in Switzerland, the payment of cross-border workers’ unemployment benefit by Switzerland and taxing income at source.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Grand Est: a report to the French prime minister on responding to the "longing for Alsace"

The French prime minister has entrusted the Prefect of the Grand Est region with a mission relating to the institutional solutions available to give form to the “longing for Alsace”.