In 2013, the MOT conducted a large-scale study aimed at defining the priority areas for the development of the French-Swiss Jura Arc. This cross-border territory encompasses the Franche-Comté Region and the Swiss cantons of Bern, the Jura, Neuchâtel and Vaud.
On 4 December, the MOT’s Chairman, Michel Delebarre*, and the MOT team took part in a hearing at the National Assembly conducted by Philip Cordery, Chairman of the parliamentary study group on cross-border cooperation, along with numerous French MPs for border areas.
The Council of Europe adopted a report on "Prospects for effective transfrontier cooperation in Europe".
Michel Charrat, Chairman of the Groupement transfrontalier européen (GTE, European Cross-Border Grouping), an association that defends the rights of cross-border workers along the French-Swiss border, replies to our questions.
At the instigation of the department of Pas-de-Calais and Kent County Council (United Kingdom), which are on either side of the Pas-de-Calais Strait – one of the busiest in the world – the European Straits Initiative has since 2009 brought together a network of 15 local authorities bordering 8 European straits from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean.
On 20 November 2013, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the new regulation relating to the EGTC. This regulation will help to clarify, simplify and improve the creation and functioning of EGTCs.
The final conference of the French-British project CAMIS (Channel Arc Manche Integrated Strategy) took place on 21 November 2013 in Rouen.
The MOT organized five information seminars in September and October 2013 on operational arrangements for cross-border projects on French borders. Each seminar covered one or two of the French borders. Consult the documentation.
The Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière and its president Michel Delebarre invite you to discover the new version of the MOT website: a unique resource centre for cross-border cooperation in Europe!
The bid by the French-Italian cross-border area “Marittime-Mercantour” to be included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List was officially submitted on 18 November 2013 in Breil-sur-Roya (France).
Organised by the Cross-Border Agency for the Development of the Basque Eurocity and the Donostia-San Sebastián City Hall on 14-15 November 2013 in San Sebastián, this event brought together the political, technical, institutional and socio-economic representatives of the Basque Eurocity.
The seminar on legal instruments for cross-border projects organised by the MOT on 29 October 2013 in Lille (at the Nord-Pas de Calais Conseil Régional) brought together nearly 70 French, Belgian and English players involved in cross-border cooperation.
The European directive on cross-border healthcare came into force on 25 October 2013. Its aim is to facilitate the organisation of scheduled treatment for and reimbursement of patients who receive medical treatment or an operation outside of their country of residence.
Over 50 practitioners participated in the seminar on the legal instruments for cross-border projects organised by the MOT on 17 October 2013 in Sarreguemines and hosted by the Communauté d’Agglomération Sarreguemines Confluences (Sarreguemines Confluences Agglomeration Community).
In the context of the programming of European funds for the period 2014-2020, each Member State is required to draw up a Partnership Agreement. A first version of this agreement has been published in France.
The Parc Naturel Régional Scarpe-Escaut (France) and the Parc Naturel des Plaines de l’Escaut (Belgium), which together form the Hainaut Cross-border Nature Park, received the “Transboundary Park” certificate at the closing ceremony of the annual conference of the EUROPARC Federation on 12 October 2013 in Hungary.
Territorial cooperation programmes and projects celebrated European Cooperation Day for the second consecutive year on 21 September 2013.
The Budapest Platform organised a seminar on 2 July at the Union Benelux headquarters in Brussels on the role of the national level in supporting cross-border cooperation.
On 27 June, the Working Group of the MOT network on cross-border cooperation on renewable energy met in Paris (in the premises of the DATAR) in the presence of DG REGIO and the DATAR. The participants were able to review cross-border cooperation issues in the field, discuss their approaches to programming and territorial planning and determine their priorities in this rapidly developing field.
It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Pierre Mauroy. He was a major architect of decentralisation, of the construction of Europe and of cross-border cooperation. He was also a great president for the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière from 2001 to 2008, and subsequently continued to provide guidance for it as honorary president. We were honoured to work with him. A major figure has left us.
The two latest MOT position statements at European level are on: "Border workers" and "Assessment of territorial impacts". They concern two consultations launched by the Committeee of the Regions:
The Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission reached agreement on 27 May in Brussels on the text of the new EGTC regulation.
The General Assembly of the MOT took place on 25 April 2013 in Strasbourg, at the invitation of the Communauté urbaine de Strasbourg, a member of the MOT network.
