EUROPE
The Critical Dictionary on Borders is finally available online!
November 2022Published in paper format in 2020, this major publication, to which the MOT contributed, is finally available online.
Published in paper format in 2020, this major publication, to which the MOT contributed, is finally available online.
On September 30th, 2022, the closing event of the QUALICANES Interreg project took place.
The environment knows no borders, and neither does the climate!
An initial Franco-Belgian steering committee on the Val de Sambre and the cross-border territory around the conurbations of Mons, Maubeuge and Charleroi took place on Friday 1 July at the Jeumont digital station.
At the invitation of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis Agency, the MOT went to Tournai on 25 May 2022 to take part in the launch of the first “European Citizens’ Space”.
Sandro Gozi, MEP, Jean de Béthune, President of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis, and Christoph Schnaudigel, President of the PAMINA Eurodistrict, talk to us about governance – a crucial subject at the centre of the second day of the Borders Forum. Register now as places are limited! You can also access the event's press kit.
The Greater Region’s Cooperation Fund has been extended by the Greater Region Summit with a new call for projects. Its aim: "To bring the inhabitants of the Greater Region closer together and to enable them to experience the richness of exchanges across borders".
On 24 March, at the invitation of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis, Thibault Devillard, policy officer at the MOT, took part in a discussion with the inhabitants of the Franco-Belgian territory.
In order to answer the numerous questions about public services with a cross-border dimension from users of travelling and permanent "France Services" advice points run by the Nord Department, the latter commissioned the MOT to carry out an experimental study in 2021.
In January 2022, the Summit of Greater Region Executives took stock at the midpoint in France’s presidency, particularly with respect to the industrial, digital and energy transitions, flood and drought risk prevention, food and promoting short supply chains, culture, youth, sport and tourism, healthcare and security.
At a time when the closure of borders highlights the issues relating to cross-border living areas and their cohesion, the provision of public services specific to these territories was the subject of a dedicated workshop at the FNAU’s last national conference.
Between June and September 2021, the MOT was commissioned by the Lille Metropolis Development and Urban Planning Agency (ADULM) to conduct an analysis of the consequences of the border restrictions in the territory of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis. The aim was to identify the issues highlighted and revealed by the crisis and the brakes on/levers for the development of the cross-border territory.
On the initiative of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis, the three EGTCs working along the Franco-Belgian border signed a memorandum addressed to France’s presidency of the EU.
On the occasion of the 42nd national meetings of the FNAU*, the MOT jointly led a workshop with the Agence d’Urbanisme Atlantique et Pyrénées (AUDAP) on the topic of public service provision and access in cross-border contexts.
This autumn, and for the second consecutive year, the MOT organised nine “territorial meetings”, so as to keep in close contact with the members of its network, and involve them in preparing its annual programme. Held successively in Besançon, Strasbourg, Lille, Annemasse, Charleville-Mézières, Nice, Urrugne, Perpignan and Metz, both virtually and in person, the meetings brought together close to 200 participants in total.
On 19 November, the French President Emmanuel Macron came to the Avesnois and the Thiérache to sign a second-generation contract between the French state and the territory.
Following on from the MOT’s workshop “Breathing without borders” held on 13 October during the EURegionsWeek, the MOT has published three project factsheets corresponding to the examples of good practices presented during the workshop.
At a time when environmental health is a growing concern for citizens and the Commission is launching its ambitious “Zero-pollution action plan” within the framework of the European Green Deal, the MOT and its network decided to organise a workshop entitled “Breathing without borders: challenges in improving air quality in cross-border regions” during the European Week of Cities and Regions.
At the research seminar "The model of the Franco-German border – Reconciliation, cooperation, integration", organised by the Jean Monnet FRONTEM network, a "Manifesto on the future of cross-border cooperation in Europe", addressed to France’s presidency of the EU, and to the Conference on the Future of Europe, was published.
Following its adoption at its first reading in the Senate on 21 July 2021, the 3DS bill (standing for “differentiation, decentralisation, deconcentration and various measures to simplify local public action”) will be examined under a fast-track procedure in the Assemblée Nationale, in France, from the beginning of December. Taking on a number of the proposals put forward by the MOT, the senators adopted a series of amendments relating to cross-border issues.
The health crisis put the inhabitants of border regions in an unprecedented position that placed a strain on all aspects of their daily lives. In this case, the daily lives of the inhabitants of the cross-border living area of the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis were seriously disrupted. The concrete effects of these restrictions need to be analysed in greater depth to learn the lessons in order to act better in the future.
In anticipation of the reading of the 4D bill in Parliament, the MOT, on behalf of its network, has sent to the co-rapporteurs of the Senate’s Law Commission on this legislation proposed amendments aimed at strengthening its cross-border component.
The “4D” bill was presented during the Council of Ministers’ session on 12 May. It will be subject to an accelerated parliamentary procedure, and its reading in the Senate is scheduled for July.
These meetings were held on 22 April 2021, organised by the ANCT, with the Minister Jacqueline Gourault and Minister of State Joël Giraud in attendance. All beneficiary towns were invited, and examples of territory projects were presented. Among these, several border towns were highlighted, including Saint-Jean de Maurienne and its valley in Savoie, Bouzonville and Sierck-les-Bains in Moselle, along with Hirson and the Thiérache in Aisne.
The Greater Region’s Geographical Information System and ATMO Grand Est have joined forces in order to develop an interactive map that makes it possible to check air quality across the whole of the cross-border territory of the Greater Region.