Michel Charrat, the President of the European Cross-Border Grouping and Treasurer of the MOT, gives us his analysis of the implementation of the vote in February 2014 in Switzerland, which was aimed at restricting the number of foreign workers.
Kussbus is a Luxembourg start-up which has just launched an innovative home-work shuttle service in the Luxembourg-France-Belgium-Germany border territory.
This publication examines how policy actors involved in cross-border co-operation contribute to the regional integration process in West Africa.
A report by the Senate released on 14 December 2016 sets out proposals to improve the care given to French disabled people in Belgian institutions.
The MOT took part in the fourth and final meeting of Cross-Border Review experts that took place on 15 December in Brussels.
At a meeting in Belfort on 1 December 2016, a framework agreement bringing together seven universities in the Franco-Swiss Jura Arc was signed, putting in place a "Community of Knowledge".
The Cerdanya Hospital, which is located on the border between France and Spain in the Catalan Pyrenees, is an unprecedented example in Europe of cooperation in healthcare (between the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and France).
To be able to treat someone rapidly after a stroke requires coordination between local emergency services and specialist neurology and neurosurgery departments.
Endorsed on 23 November 2016 by the plenary session of the National Commission for Decentralised Cooperation (CNCD), the "Diplomacy and Territories" White Paper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development is online on the website of the DAECT (Délégation pour l'action extérieure des collectivités territoriales (Delegation for the External Action of Territorial Authorities).
At the request of Luxembourg's Ministry for Sustainable Development and Infrastructures, acting on behalf of the different bodies of the Greater Region's Summit, a consortium led by the North Lorraine urban planning agency (AGAPE) in collaboration with the MOT, the urban planning agencies of Metz (AGURAM) and Nancy (ADUAN), and the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, carried out an assignment to assist with the drawing-up of the Greater Region's territorial development plan.
The Territorial Observatory's 2016 Report on the topic "Employment and Territories" has just been published by the General Commission for Territorial Equality (CGET).
Nearly 200 people gathered on 8 December 2016 in Geneva for the signature of the "Greater Geneva Territorial Project 2016-2030", a third generation conurbation project: "We want to move from a financial rationale to a common political vision. We want to make Greater Geneva a collective, shared project that is led by the territory's citizens and stakeholders. We want to work towards the concrete and effective realisation of projects."
A seminar organised by the ESPON programme and the Slovak presidency of the EU Council was held in Bratislava on 7-8 December 2016. Its objective was to promote the use of ESPON's findings and tools in decision-making processes, and to discuss future issues for European territories.
On 13 December in Strasbourg, the European Commission presented a revision of the European rules on the provision of unemployment benefits for cross-border workers and also for job-seekers in another Member State, in order to facilitate labour mobility.
"There are borders that can be easily crossed and others that are impassable; there are visible borders and invisible borders; there are political, economic and cultural borders… This first atlas devoted to borders helps us to better understand the issues that are concealed behind the lines that separate or link peoples."
The 5th Franco-Luxembourg intergovernmental commission (IGC) for the strengthening of cross-border cooperation was held on 21 November 2016 in Luxembourg, in the presence of Harlem Désir, Secretary of State for European Affairs (FR), and Corinne Cahen, Minister for the Greater Region (LU).
The Jura Arc Cross-Border Forum commissioned an original piece of work from Thomas Brasey as part of his thematic cycle entitled "Le Doubs Miroir" ("The Doubs Mirror") in order for him to train his photographer's eye on the cross-border territory between Saint-Ursanne in the Swiss Jura and Saint-Hippolyte in Franche-Comté, two municipalities linked by the river Doubs.
After several decades of innovative projects undertaken between neighbouring countries, cross-border territories have become shared living spaces, and places for discovering a “European citizenship” experienced in daily life.
The members of the CNCD (National Commission for Decentralized Cooperation) approved on 23 November 2016 a White Paper entitled “Diplomatie et territoires" (Diplomacy and Territories) proposed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development.
Within the framework of the Connecting Europe Facility, the European Commission has launched three calls for proposals concerning the implementation of large European transport networks, amounting to 1.9 billion euros. One of the main goals of these projects focuses on interoperability and the reduction of “missing links” in infrastructure, at a cross-border scale.
The president of the MOT, Michel Delebarre, welcomed members of the MOT network on 16 November on the invitation of the Ministry of Overseas France in Paris for two meetings: the Advisory Committee meeting, where activities were presented and the reports made on the functioning of the MOT; and the Technicians’ Platform meeting, which was the occasion for interactive exchanges with members.
ITEM (Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross border cooperation and Mobility at Dutch borders) held its annual conference on 28 October 2016 in Maastricht, on the topic “Europe under pressure: effects for border regions – 25 years after the Maastricht Treaty”. The ITEM annual report, which analyses each year the impact of legislation on the border territories of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, was presented and discussed.
The directors of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Perpignan, Girona, Lleida and Andorra have officially launched the cross-border Chamber of Commerce and Industry “Pirineus Med”: a new body which aims to develop exchanges and cross-border knowledge, and whose goal is to “establish trade relations in the cross-border territory”.
The Working Community of the Pyrenees (CTP) brings together the French and Spanish border regions, and Andorra. Its main objective is to contribute to harmonious and coordinated development of the Pyrenean massif.
