TERRITORIES
French award for Saarland’s “France Strategy”
March 2021On 3 February 2021, Saarland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Strobel, went to Paris to receive the "Prix coup de cœur 2021" awarded by the magazine "Acteurs Publics".
News
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BORDERS FORUM
Borders Forum: proceedings are online
February 2021On 9-10 November 2020, the Borders Forum brought together over 700 participants online, around many prominent figures, including ministers and elected representatives, from local to European level.
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MOT
The MOT’s contribution to the 4D Bill
February 2021In 2020, the French government put the so-called 4D Bill – on decentralisation, deconcentration, differentiation and decomplexification – on the political agenda. This is good news for cross-border territories.
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EUROPE
Survey on cross-border public transport in Europe
February 2021The DG REGIO has launched a study to identify all existing cross-border public transport services and related legal obstacles. The contributions to this survey are crucial to ascertain the number of existing services and to gather information on the challenges that need to be overcome.
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MOT
European study carried out by the MOT on behalf of DG REGIO What have been the impacts of border restrictions on citizens?
February 2021At a time when we are seeing fresh border closures, the MOT is proposing to take a step back and to analyse the first phase of the crisis and its impact on cross-border living areas.
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MOT
The MOT’s first entirely digital general assembly : Cross-border players – always on the front line!
February 2021The MOT’s network met via video-conference on 4 February, with nearly 100 participants representing virtually all of its members, to discuss its work programme and priorities for the coming year.
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TERRITORIES
Citizens’ participation: the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion and the Banque des Territoires launch the "Territoires en commun" platform
February 2021With the "Territoires en commun" (“Territories in Common”) platform launched on 19 January, the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion and the Banque des Territoires wish to enable all territorial authorities to have access to technical assistance for cooperation and citizens’ participation. The goal is to support territorial authorities and their partners – particularly state partners – in the appropriation of methods enabling the co-design of projects.
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FRANCE
The national strategy for protected areas: what account is being taken of cross-border territories?
February 2021On 12 January the French government adopted its new national strategy for protected areas up until 2030.
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TERRITORIES
Nova Gorica and Gorizia – two border towns to be a single “European Capital of Culture” in 2025
February 2021On 18 December 2020, the border towns of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and Gorizia (Italy) were designated “European Capital of Culture 2025”. This 100% cross-border candidacy represents a historic milestone for this competition: for the first time, the candidacy and the joint urban and cultural development project were steered by an EGTC in all of the phases of this long process.
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TERRITORIES
Launch of the “Borders” literary prize
February 2021On 2 February, the University of Lorraine and the University of the Greater Region, in collaboration with the UniGR-Center for Border Studies, launched the first edition of the “Borders” literary prize, dedicated to the universe of the writer Léonora Miano.
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TERRITORIES
Survey aimed at the inhabitants of the Basel Trinational Eurodistrict
February 2021In collaboration with the MOT and the Euro-Institut, the Basel Trinational Eurodistrict is currently working on its Strategy 2030, which will set out its role, its organisation and its themes for the coming years. One of its goals is to involve citizens more, as cross-border cooperation is aimed at one thing above all: making daily life and coexistence the border region easier and more enriching for its inhabitants.
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COVID-19
Restrictions at France’s borders: cross-border living areas finally recognised
February 2021Since 31 January 2021, anyone entering France, including from other European countries, must be in possession of a negative Covid test obtained within the previous 72 hours. However, this obligation does not apply to the inhabitants of cross-border living areas (for journeys lasting less than 24 hours) or to cross-border workers.
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EUROPE
How should cooperation across Europe's borders look going towards 2050? Over to you!
January 2021Following the Covid-19 crisis in the border regions, and in the light of the scale of the coming transitions, a new impetus and long-term vision are needed more than ever to make these territories engines of solidarity and cooperation between Europeans. What have been the impacts of the pandemic on cross-border cooperation? What are the desirable futures for Europe, democracy and cooperation? These are the questions that the consultation on the long-term future of cross-border cooperation is attempting to answer.
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EUROPE
DG GROW - Call of interest for border regions to participate in a pilot to overcome barriers to cross-border business activities
January 2021The call aims to mobilise border regions that have already acknowledged and experienced market access barriers due to regulatory or administrative obstacles. Deadline: 15 March 2021.
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EUROPE
Public consultations on Serious Cross-Border Theats to Health
January 2021The European Committee of the Regions is currently working on a legislative opinion analysing the impact of two legislative proposals of the European Commission on EU's regions and cross-border links :
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EUROPE
Adoption of the New Leipzig Charter and the European Territorial Agenda 2030
January 2021On 30 November and 1 December, at the informal meeting of ministers responsible for urban development and territorial cohesion organised by the German EU presidency, two important documents for Europe’s territories were adopted: the New Leipzig Charter and the Territorial Agenda 2030.
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TERRITORIES
Editorial by Michel Pélieu, President of the “Pyrénées-Pirineos” European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation
January 2021“The Pyrenees have long bound us together”
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TERRITORIES
The "Pyrénées-Pirineos" EGTC: Aragon and French territorial authorities join forces
January 2021Since 19 October 2020, a single European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) has brought together Aragon, the Province of Huesca and the Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments.
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EUROPE
B-solutions initiative: the 4th call is open
January 2021On behalf of the European Commission’ s DG REGIO, the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) has opened the fourth call for proposals in the framework of the b-solutions initiative. Applications can be submitted until the 11th of March 2021.
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TERRITORIES
Craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics in the Jura Arc listed by UNESCO
January 2021On 16 December 2020, UNESCO added craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This listing gives recognition to an emblematic living tradition in the Franco-Swiss Jura Arc. The candidacy was regarded as exemplary by UNESCO in that it raises awareness of the importance of intangible cultural heritage in a cross-border space
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MOT
Supporting the development of cross-border projects along the Grand Est Region's borders
January 2021On 9 October 2020, the final conference relating to the study “Analysis of the contributions made by the 2014-2020 cross-border cooperation programmes in the Grand Est Region”, led by the Region within the framework of the European programme Europ'Act and coordinated by the MOT and the Euro-Institut, brought together in the form of a webinar around one hundred participants.
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TERRITORIES
Greater Region – The future of cooperation in the fields of higher education and research
January 2021A declaration of intention on the future of institutional cooperation in the fields of higher education and research in the Greater Region was signed on 25 November 2020 in Saarbrücken, at a ministerial conference held under Saarland’s presidency. At the conference, the ministers and representatives from the five partner regions took stock and discussed the consequences of the health crisis for cross-border cooperation between higher education and research institutions.
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TERRITORIES
A Franco-Italian accelerator dedicated to SMEs
January 2021The first Franco-Italian accelerator has just been set up. Its aim is to help French and Italian SMEs to work together to grow internationally.
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PUBLICATION
"Public inquiries and local democracy"
January 2021Proceedings of the conference of the Compagnie Nationale des Commissaires Enquêteurs* (CNCE) of 4 March 2020.This event was an opportunity to take stock and to set out a number of observations regarding the future of public inquiry procedures in France, the timeframes of which have recently been reduced.
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EUROPE
Multiannual financial framework adopted and recovery package
January 2021On 17 December 2020, the EU Council adopted the regulation laying down the EU’s multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the years 2021-2027. Combined with the “Next Generation EU” recovery instrument, it will enable the EU to provide funding of an unprecedented amount of €1,800 billion to support the recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic and the EU’s long-term priorities.
