News

TERRITORIES

A university for Europe: Eucor – The European Campus

The first European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) to be set up by an alliance of universities is located in the Upper Rhine area.

TERRITORIES

A territorial project for Greater Geneva

In October 2015, the Greater Geneva local grouping of cross-border cooperation (LGCC) launched an initiative to draw up a territorial project for the whole of the French-Vaud-Geneva conurbation for the 2016-2030 period. This process of reflection will be completed at the end of this year. It involves the elected representatives of the region, both Swiss and French, and cross-border civil society organised through the Greater Geneva Conurbation Forum.

TERRITORIES

Editorial from the political representatives of the Greater Geneva

TERRITORIES

Unemployed in France, unemployable in Switzerland

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.

TERRITORIES

A new president for the Leman Council

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.

FRANCE

2015 regional elections in France: an update on the territorial reform and cross-border cooperation

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?.

TERRITORIES

Greater Geneva in lycées' school programme

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.

TERRITORIES

40 years of cross-border cooperation in the Upper Rhine

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.

TERRITORIES

A report on TV channel "France 2" covering Franco-Swiss cross-border workers

"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…"

TERRITORIES

Trinational Agglomeration Basel unveils the contents of its toolbox for cross-border cooperation

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.

FRANCE

The French Ministry of Finance sets the conditions for the refunding of social contributions from non-residents

Taking note of the “de Ruyter” decision of the CJEU, “the [French] Government specifies in a communiqué published on 20th October the conditions for the introduction of recovery procedures relating to refunds of social contributions made on capital gains by residents and non-residents who are covered by social security schemes of other Member States of the European Union, the European Economic Area, or Switzerland.”

TERRITORIES

Greater Geneva puts in place cross-border monitoring of air pollution

On 21 September, the players from the Greater Geneva area presented an innovative new tool that makes it possible to monitor air pollution across the cross-border territory: the G²AME (Grand Genève Air Modèle Emissions – Greater Geneva Air Emissions Model) platform.

TERRITORIES

A platform for French-Swiss car-pooling

A web platform to promote car-pooling in the Greater Geneva region went live on 1 September.

FRANCE

Promulgation in France of the "NOTRe Act"

The New Territorial Organisation of the Republic Act (the "NOTRe Act") was promulgated on 7 August 2015 in France.

EUROPE

Commission launches the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region

Today the Commission officially launched the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP), the fourth EU macro-regional strategy. More than70 million citizens will reap the benefits of a closer cooperation between regions and countries in terms of research and innovation, SME support, mobility, tourism, environmental protection and energy resources management.

TERRITORIES

Inauguration des chemins de la contrebande franco-suisses

Ambitieux projet porté par Le Pays Horloger (France) et le Parc naturel régional du Doubs (Suisse), les Chemins de la Contrebande franco-suisse proposent quatre itinéraires pédestres et VTT entre la France et la Suisse, alternative originale aux randonnées classiques, avec une quête ludique et l’utilisation des nouvelles technologies, qui pimentent les parcours entre France et Suisse et ouvrent un vaste champ de découvertes à partager.

TERRITORIES

The Espace Mont-Blanc: a cooperation space to be protected and promoted

For more than twenty years, the Espace Mont Blanc (FR/IT/CH) has been striving to meet the needs for sustainable and balanced development of the Mont Blanc massif and its valleys, in order to protect and promote this emblematic cross-border territory.

TERRITORIES

A unifying and citizen-based project for the Doubs Urban Conurbation

On the territory of the French-Swiss Jura Arc, the Doubs Urban Conurbation (Agglomération Urbaine du Doubs – AUD) has launched a cross-border intercultural and intergenerational project aimed at involving the populations and civil society of the French and Swiss municipalities that make it up: Morteau (F), Villers-le-Lac (F), Les Fins (F), La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH), Le Locle (CH) and Les Brenets (CH).

FRANCE

Launch of European programmes

Along France's borders, several INTERREG VA programmes have launched their first calls for projects or are organising their launch events soon.

TERRITORIES

Hollande speaks out for Greater Geneva

"France and Switzerland declared their mutual friendship on 15th April 2015, without hiding the frictions between the two countries. François Hollande expressed his concern about national preference with regard to employment. […] During his State visit to Bern, the French president, François Hollande, stated before the seven federal councillors that he was making Greater Geneva a priority issue."

TERRITORIES

Editorial from Jean Rottner, Mayor of Mulhouse, President of the FNAU: The EuroAirport, a French-Swiss success story

The world’s only binational airport, located in the French-German-Swiss region, the Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport is an example in terms of cross-border cooperation.

TERRITORIES

Mulhouse and Switzerland: 500 years of history in common

2015 marks the 500th anniversary of the alliance between Mulhouse and the Swiss Confederation. An occasion to throw light on the strength of the historical links as the roots of today’s cross-border cooperation and to celebrate the event by making 2015 "The year of Switzerland in Mulhouse".

FRANCE

INSEE study: “Live in France and work in another country: a fast-growing situation”

According to a study by the INSEE published in February 2015, the number of French people living in France but working abroad has increased by 42% since 1999. The study analyses the different causes and characteristics of the resulting flows.

TERRITORIES

An EGC for Greater Geneva?

Etienne Blanc, MP for the Ain Department and first Vice-President of the French Geneva area Regional Cooperation Assembly (ARC), submitted an amendment to the "NOTRe" draft legislation (in France) to enable border metropolitan conurbations of member countries of the Council of Europe, such as the Swiss Confederation, to participate in a Euroregional Cooperation Grouping (EGC).

PUBLICATION

How international borders affect local public transport: Analyses and evaluations of cross-border agglomerations in Switzerland, France and Germany

This study focuses on various effects of international borders on local public transport: How does it impact demand, service offer as well as framework conditions?