At the end of 2015, the European Cross-Border Grouping (Groupement Transfrontalier Européen, GTE) was alerted by Switzerland's temping agencies regarding the difficulties they are encountering in hiring French unemployed people as temporary workers.
On 3 December 2015, Jacques Melly, the President of the Conseil d'Etat of the Canton of Valais, handed over the presidency of the Leman Council to Virginie Duby-Muller, Vice-President in charge of cooperation and cross-border affairs of the Haute-Savoie Conseil Départemental, who is also Vice-President of the MOT.
Following Sweden's decision to introduce on 4 January 2016 systematic checks on all people coming from Denmark in order to better control the influx of refugees, the 15,000 cross-border workers who every day travel by public transport between the two countries across the famous Öresund Bridge, a symbol of the two countries' long-standing and extensive cross-border integration, are facing long queues on a daily basis.
The European Commission has adopted a series of cross-border cooperation programmes totalling €1 billion, supporting social and economic development in the regions on both sides of the EU's external borders.
Following the regional elections and the reform which reduced the number of regions in mainland France from 22 to 13, the MOT has published a note (in French) on the new French regions and the territorial reform: what will be the impact on cross-border cooperation?.
Within the framework of its presidency of the EU Council, on 26-27 November 2015, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg brought together the European ministers responsible for territorial cohesion and urban policy for an informal meeting in Luxembourg. The discussions fed into the conclusions of the Luxembourg presidency, which is proposing actions to facilitate cross-border cooperation within the EU.
Luxembourg's presidency of the EU Council has given high priority to cross-border cooperation.
The Pas-de-Calais Department has solid relations with its British neighbours, which have resulted in many projects and the signature of a cooperation agreement with the County of Kent.
A seminar entitled "A world without borders - Refugees, cooperation and territories" was held within the framework of the ESPON 2020 programme, in cooperation with the Luxembourg presidency of the EU Council, on 8-9 December 2015 in Luxembourg.
At the instigation of the Midi-Pyrénées General Secretariat for Regional Affairs, a working seminar aimed at the decentralised government departments in the regions bordering Spain and Andorra was held on 25 November 2015 in Toulouse to discuss practices and consider new modes of organisation designed to remove the obstacles to French-Spanish-Andorran cooperation.
On 26 November in Kortrijk, a day based around the theme of innovation and the concept of "Learn do share" was held by the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis. Nearly 120 people reflected together on how to develop the Eurometropolis and be involved in it.
The local development council of the French Geneva area has presented a new edition of the educational material on Greater Geneva, which is entitled "Greater Geneva, our daily territory" and aimed at students in the penultimate year of lycée as part of the geography syllabus.
The Joint Secretariat of the Upper Rhine Conference and the journalist Reinhard Reck have produced a booklet to mark the 40th anniversary of the French-German-Swiss intergovernmental commission. The booklet presents the evolution, diversity and dynamism of cross-border cooperation in the Upper Rhine since the Bonn Agreement signed in 1975.
After a workshop on EGTCs and territorial cooperation in association with the EGTC Platform of the Committee of the Regions on 12th November 2015 in Brussels, a conference was held the following day on “The Future of Cross-Border Cooperation in Europe”. It was jointly organised by the AEBR, DG REGIO, the Committee of the Regions and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
The topic of the conference was: “Territorial Reforms: what impact for cross-border cooperation?”
The DG for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission has produced seven two-minute films on the benefits of the free movement of people and goods, in English, French and German. These films touch on tangible cross-border topics such as employment, education, health, commerce, border controls, etc.
The Musée de l’Histoire de l’Immigration (Museum of Immigration History) in Paris is curating an exhibition focusing on borders, from 10th November 2015 to 29th May 2016. From works of art to maps, contemporary photographs and migrants’ own accounts, this unique exhibition sheds light on the role of borders around the world and contemporary issues surrounding them.
On 18th November, members of the MOT network gathered at the CGET (General Commission for Territorial Equality) in Saint-Denis, for a meeting of the Technicians’ Platform and the Advisory Committee of the MOT.The Technicians’ Platform looked at plans to put in place during 2016 an online forum for exchanges between members of the network.
The study proposes a critical analysis of EGTCs and emphasises the primordial role of this legal instrument in the development of cross-border cooperation in Europe.
"More than 150,000 French citizens cross the border every day to go to work in Switzerland, attracted by higher salaries in all sectors. Many believe they will find an Eldorado there. Reality is not always as one imagines…"
The removal of roaming charges for mobile phones in Europe is definitively set for 15th June 2017, following the passing of legislation by the European Parliament on 27th October 2015.
A European Seminar on democratic governance of cross-border areas was held on 22 and 23 October 2015 in Saint-Louis (France). The seminar was organised by the Council of Europe with the collaboration of the City of Saint-Louis, the Trinational Eurodistrict Basel, the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière and the Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia (Italy).
The seminar organised by the Council of Europe was an opportunity to examine cross-border cooperation activity organised around the work of the Basel Trinational Eurodistrict (ETB), the international architecture exhibition IBA Basel 2020 and the Basel Agglomeration programme.
