News

PUBLICATION

Cross-border cooperation: "a vector of good practices in other continents"

The magazine Raisonnance of the International Association of Francophone Mayors has published an article by Olivier Denert, the MOT's Secretary General, entitled "Le transfrontalier en Europe : un cas particulier du développement territorial et porteur de bonnes pratiques sur d'autres continents" ("Cross-border co-operation in Europe: a particular instance of territorial development and a vector of good practices in other continents").

MOT

Towards a new European legal tool: the ECBC

The intergovernmental working group on innovative solutions to cross-border obstacles met for the sixth time on 6 February 2018. It is working on the proposal for a new European tool dedicated to cross-border cooperation: the European Cross-Border Convention (ECBC).

TERRITORIES

Aquitaine-Euskadi: Boosting cross-border employment

A study, launched within the framework of a European project,* sets out a comprehensive assessment of cross-border employment in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Euskadi Navarra Euroregion.

EUROPE

Call for applications for the 2018 EGTC award

The Committee of the Regions has launched the call for applications for the 2018 EGTC award "Building Europe across borders". The deadline for submission of applications is 16 April 2018.

TERRITORIES

European Conference on the Energy Transition and signature of a cross-border agreement

The 2018 edition of the European Conference on the Energy Transition took place on 30-31 January and 1 February in the territory of Greater Geneva, a cross-border first for this event that every year brings together more than 3,500 professionals in the areas of energy and sustainable development. The conference also provided the opportunity to sign a cross-border agreement on air quality in Greater Geneva.

PUBLICATION

France: Report on the European mobility of apprentices

This report by France's General Inspectorate of Social Affairs sets out around 20 proposals to proactively increase the European mobility of apprentices; they fall within the competence of the Ministries of Labour and National Education, the social partners and the regions, in the context of the ongoing discussions on the reform of apprenticeships.

TERRITORIES

"MMUST" to facilitate mobility within the Greater Region

The MMUST project (Multimodal model and scenarios for cross-border mobility) has just been approved by the Greater Region Interreg VA programme. It is an ambitious project that aims to simulate cross-border movements between France, Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium.

PUBLICATION

The Saar-Lor-Lux Greater Region: towards cross-border supra-regionalisation?

"Beyond the speeches and symbols, what meaning can the concept of a cross-border region have? By defining the region as an identity-based, territorial and institutional construction that endures over time, this work identifies and interrogates the specificities of this process in the cross-border setting. The issues are explored using the emblematic example of the Greater Region, which launched a long-term strategy in 2008 involving Lorraine, Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Wallonia."

MOT 20TH ANNIVERSARY

The conference proceedings are online

TERRITORIES

Greater Region: "UniGR", a European centre of skills and resources

As part of the "UniGR - Centre for Border Studies" project, the six member universities (Kaiserslautern, Liège, Lorraine, Luxembourg, Saarland and Trier) of the University of the Greater Region (UniGR) are going to set up a "European centre of skills and resources in border studies" with international visibility.

EUROPE

Meeting of Anne Sander's group on higher education and research

The eighth meeting of the European Parliament's working group on cross-border cooperation, chaired by the MEP Anne Sander, Vice-President of the MOT, took place on 28 February and was devoted to the topic of higher education and research.

TERRITORIES

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: Optimising cross-border relations

"The regions and countries that border the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region are very attractive to its inhabitants, businesses and territorial authorities." The Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regional Economic, Social and Environmental Council has attempted to understand the dynamics at work in the neighbouring territories and their impact on the region, in an 84-page document entitled "From good neighbourly relations to a development strategy".

EUROPE

DG REGIO: Call for proposals on cross-border obstacles

"b-solutions" is an initiative to tackle legal and administrative border obstacles/difficulties along EU internal borders promoted by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), as one of the actions proposed in the referred Communication "Boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions", adopted by the Commission on 20 September 2017.

EUROPE

Launch of the "Boosting EU Border Regions" platform

The European Commission has launched its new online platform "Boosting EU border regions" dedicated to cross-border stakeholders. This new tool is part of the 10 measures proposed in the Commission Communication "Boosting Growth and Cohesion in EU Border Regions".

NATIONAL LEVEL

Cross-border relations at the heart of Franco-German diplomacy

In reponse to Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel’s desire to sign a new Elysée Treaty in 2018, and on the occasion of its 55th anniversary, the German Bundestag and the French National Assembly, meeting in a joint session on 22 January, adopted a resolution inviting the two governments to renew this treaty in order to “deepen the Franco-German partnership” and “launch a new dynamic”.

TERRITORIES

What place for the cross-border citizen in building Europe?

Two workshops and a study trip with local stakeholders were organised around this topic in the territories of SaarMoselle and Flanders-Dunkirk-Côte d’Opale, as part of the work of IHEDATE (Higher Education Institute for European Development and Planning - Institut des hautes études de développement et d'aménagement des territoires en Europe).

MOT

Mission on the Haïti-Dominican Republic border

The situation of Haiti and the Dominican Republic is unique in the world: it is the only case in which the entire land area of two states is located on a single shared island. In 2016 and 2017, the MOT was commissioned to develop cross-border cooperation on this atypical border.

TERRITORIES

French-Swiss innovation fair in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

The "Rencontres franco-suisses de l’économie et de l’innovation en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes", an ‘economy and innovation fair’, was held for the first time in Lyon on 15 January 2018.

TERRITORIES

The Basel tram network extended to Saint-Louis!

On 10 December 2017, the elected representatives of the Basel trinational conurbation had the pleasure of opening tram line 3 linking the centre of Basel-Stadt (CH) to the railway station of Saint-Louis (F). With this tram line it is now possible to travel from Saint-Louis station to Basel city centre in under 15 minutes.

TERRITORIES

Grand Est region: study on cross-border obstacles

The Regional Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Ceser) of the Grand Est region has published a study looking at the reduction of cross-border obstacles in the Grand Est region.

PUBLICATION

Cross-border cooperation in Europe: beyond the scars of history

This special edition of RECERC, online publication of the Institut Franco-Catalan Transfrontalier, focuses on the historical aspects and the evolution of cross-border cooperation.

EUROPE

Public consultation on EU funds in the area of cohesion

In 2018, the Commission will make comprehensive proposals for the next generation of programmes for the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, which is the EU's long–term budget. This consultation (launched until March 2018) is an integral part of the process and its objective is to collect the views of all interested parties.

MOT

International conference in Ottawa

The international research network “Borders in Globalization” (BIG) held its second international conference in Ottawa between 6 and 8 December 2017. The programme is an opportunity for dialogue between different regions of the world (Europe, North America, Africa) on the theme of border management.

MOT 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Building cross-border territories: Europe for citizens

On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, on 30 November and 1 December in Brussels the MOT organised a European conference on the topic “Building cross-border territories: Europe for citizens”, which brought together more than 230 participants: attendance figures reflecting the importance of the issues!

MOT 20TH ANNIVERSARY

The MOT has published a new brochure: "Cross-border territories: Europe's laboratory"

To mark the 20th anniversary of its creation, the MOT has produced a publication entitled "Cross-border territories: Europe's laboratory". It came out at the time of the MOT's European conference "Building cross-border territories: Europe acting for its citizens" which took place on 30 November and 1 December 2017 in Brussels.