The bill approving the Franco-German agreement on cross-border apprenticeships was passed in France on 13 February. Already ratified in Germany in July 2024, this agreement makes it easier for French and German apprentices to complete their practical training in companies on the other side of the border (on the German side in the Länder of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland).
The Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Directorate-General of the European Commission launched a call for proposals "EURES cross-border partnerships and EURES cross-border initiatives".
On March 12th, 2025, the working group on cross-border observation was held in Paris. Organised jointly by the French national agency for territorial cohesion (ANCT) and the MOT, it brought together about thirty observation experts and stakeholders from cross-border territories to discuss the data available and their current projects.
Transport, housing, health, employment, governance: these are some of the key subjects addressed in the 55 concrete proposals aimed at ‘removing everyday obstacles’ and ‘strengthening cross-border dialogue’. In our exclusive interview with Brigitte Klinkert, MP for Haut-Rhin and author of the report, find out more about the concrete proposals on these key topics.
On 3 February 2025, the study ‘Energy planning at the cross-border catchment area level’, proposed in the MOT's 2025 work programme and supported by the Strasbourg Eurometropole, the Strasbourg-Ortenau Eurodistrict and the Banque des territoires, was launched.
At the end of February 2025, Véronique Guillotin, the Senator for Meurthe et Moselle, tabled an amendment concerning border hospitals.
Last month, the European Commission published an important communication: The road to the next multiannual financial framework (MFF). This document outlines the priorities for the future EU budget post-2027, including greater flexibility to better respond to crises, overall simplification, and investments that are more in line with EU priorities.
On 12 February 2025, the third edition of the Cross-border Encounters organised by the Pays Basque Conurbation Community brought together experts and political decision-makers from all over the Basque Country and Europe, to make the voice of cross-border territories heard in the construction of the European Union.
On February 6th, 2025, the second meeting of the Franco-Italian Border Cooperation Committee set up by the Quirinal Treaty was held in Nice It follows the meeting held in October 2023 in Turin. The MOT was present at this meeting.
On January 30th, 2025, a cross-border workshop was held in Dunkirk on the subject of land preservation. This workshop took place as part of a mission that the MOT is carrying out for the Banque des territoires, in order to analyse the impact of limited-land-use policies on the French-Flemish cross-border territory, with a focus on the Dunkirk area and the province of West Flanders.
February 1st, 2025 marked the launch of DG REGIO's Resilient Borders initiative, co-managed by the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) and the MOT. Its aim is to help border regions strengthen their resilience in the face of crises, with the selection of twenty pilot projects that will have to draw up a cross-border governance plan responding to a specific issue in their territory.
Last month the European Commission published its ‘Handbook on Cross-border Energy Communities’. This document provides a broad overview of how to establish and manage cross-border energy initiatives while contributing to the energy transition and European cohesion objectives.
As part of the Interreg VI Grande Région programme and the SaarMoselle functional area, the MOT is a beneficiary partner in the PRISMA project (‘Projet d'aménagement d'information et d'observation pour un projet d'agglomération SaarMoselle’) for a period of three years, from 2024 to 2026.
On December 18th, the European Commission published a report on cross-border work in Europe. Based on Eurostat data, it highlights the nature, distribution and destination of flows of cross-border workers in European Union and EFTA countries.
The MOT supports cross-border cooperation at all levels and across the globe. Alongside UN-Habitat UNI experts from Heritopolis (www.heritopolis.org) and professionals from a wide range of disciplines and countries, it is contributing to the Anthedon initiative, a vision for the future of Gaza and its integration into a cross-border metropolitan region connected with Israel and neighbouring countries.
Borders in Globalization (BIG) Lab at the University of Victoria is launching a Call for Policy Proposals on academic and policy research related to cross-border management issues and challenges. Topics include border management: border law, trade, mobility, security, artificial intelligence, etc.
With the participation of Haut-Rhin MP and former minister Brigitte Klinkert, and Sandro Gozi MEP, the MOT held its first General Assembly of the year by videoconference on Thursday January 30th. Its president, Christian Dupessey, mayor of Annemasse and president of the Pôle métropolitain du Genevois français, was joined by more than 60 participants who are members of the network.
Find out about the observation resource sites that were presented!
As part of the Franco-Italian friendship reaffirmed by the Quirinal Treaty, the autonomous region of Aosta Valley and the Haute-Savoie department have formalised their cooperation by signing a strengthened partnership agreement on the 23rd and 24th of January 2025.
On February 8th, 2025, Nova Gorica and Gorizia will launch their European Capital of Culture (ECoC) 2025 journey, marking a historic first for a cross-border ECoC.
On December 5th, 2024, the meeting of the ‘Territory’ commission of the CNIS was held, in which the MOT took part. The aim was to discuss the observation of border territories and how to carry out cross-border comparisons: how can existing flows and exchanges between two border territories be monitored? How can the border phenomenon be quantified and its consequences for territories assessed?
On December 20th, 2024, after more than ten years of negotiations, the European Union and Switzerland concluded a set of agreements aimed at strengthening their bilateral relations. These agreements, which have yet to be approved by the Swiss parliament, will have repercussions for Franco-Swiss cross-border cooperation and freedom of movement. Relations between the EU and Switzerland are governed by more than 120 bilateral agreements.
On November 25th, 2024, in Erquelinnes, Belgium, the MOT led a workshop on cross-border mobility as part of the ‘Sambre Avesnois Sud Hainaut’ cooperation strategy. Following a presentation by the MOT of a territorial analysis of cross-border mobility, some thirty elected representatives and technicians from both sides of the border discussed the challenges of improving rail and road links to meet the daily needs of the French-Belgian population.
Since March 2023, the Commission for the planning, development and protection of the Jura mountains (Massif du Jura) and the MOT have been working on a cross-border territorial study of the Franco-Swiss massif.
The end of 2024 marked the start of a new mission for the MOT: supported by the Piedmont Region as lead partner, the A-MONT initiative (cross-border mountain framework agreement) which aims to strengthen the dynamics of territorial cooperation between France and Italy in the Northern Alps.
