TERRITORIES
Seminar: "The Grand Est region and its neighbours"
November 2016Close to 300 people gathered in Strasbourg for a major seminar on the cross-border relations of the new “Grand Est” region of France.
Close to 300 people gathered in Strasbourg for a major seminar on the cross-border relations of the new “Grand Est” region of France.
The project “Compétences sans Frontières” (Skills without Borders) was launched on 1 October 2016. Its goal is to contribute to reducing the imbalance of supply and demand in the job market of the France-Wallonia-Flanders cross-border region.
Published by Correspondances Lorraines. Author: Pascale Braun. October 2016. Retail price: €20. Title in English: "The Greater East Region: Europe among Neighbours"
This summer, the MOT completely updated its online legal resources relating to cross-border cooperation law.
The Institut National des Études Territoriales (INET) in Strasbourg has put online a platform designed to centralise a large amount of disparate information about French territorial civil servants' possibilities for mobility in Europe and internationally.
At the instigation of INSEE and its French and Belgian partners, a seminar entitled "Cross-border observation: what type of organisation for what type of actions?" was held in Tournai on 28 April 2016.
The "Grex" platform was set up on 4 January 2016 in order to provide operational support to any sole trader or SME wishing to develop an economic partnership in the Greater Region.
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?.
On 26 November in Kortrijk, a day based around the theme of innovation and the concept of "Learn do share" was held by the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis. Nearly 120 people reflected together on how to develop the Eurometropolis and be involved in it.
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.”
An agreement between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium concerning cross-border cooperation in the area of policing and customs has been in force since 1 October 2015 in France.
Since January 2014, the MOT has been carrying out a project supported by the national technical assistance programme Europ'Act relating to the economic development of the cross-border territories along France's borders. The results of this work will be presented at the project's final conference on 30 September in Paris.
The New Territorial Organisation of the Republic Act (the "NOTRe Act") was promulgated on 7 August 2015 in France.
On 1 January 2015, the Communauté Urbaine de Lille (Urban Community of Lille) became the Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL – Lille European Metropolis). The MEL is one of only two cross-border metropolises to be recognised as such by law, alongside Strasbourg.
For the Lille European Metropolis, the proximity of the border constitutes an asset in terms of development and attractiveness.
Along France's borders, several INTERREG VA programmes have launched their first calls for projects or are organising their launch events soon.
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.
"Wallonia is a border territory par excellence: its relations with its neighbours have always played a crucial role in its development."
Depuis le 1er janvier 2015, la région wallonne a l’honneur et la responsabilité de présider la Grande Région, exercice assumé en étroite collaboration avec ses partenaires belges, la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles et la Communauté germanophone.
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?
View the question put by the MP Philip Cordery on 13 January 2015 at the Assemblée Nationale to Marisol Tourraine, French Minister of Social Affairs, Health and Women's Rights, about cross-border healthcare, and her reply.
In 2006, under the impetus of civil society, three public employment services (those of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region, Wallonia and Flanders) and Unizo (the Union of Independent Flemish Entrepreneurs) set up the "Eurometropolis Jobs Forum".
On 12 December 2014 in Dunkirk, the closing event of the INTERREG project "TransSport – Sport without Borders" was an opportunity to present the achievements of this project, which since 2012 has brought together seven partners from West Flanders and the North of France.
On 10 December 2014, the conference entitled "What solutions for cross-border healthcare?" took place at the Assemblée Nationale in Paris. Organised by the Assemblée Nationale's "Border Regions and Workers" study group, with support from the MOT, this conference brought together cross-border healthcare experts and elected representatives from all of France's border areas.
As 2014 draws to a close, the technical work to update the report of the French-Belgian parliamentary working group (GTPFB), initiated by the prefecture of the Nord-Pas de Calais Region, is being finalised. This initiative has benefited from the support and expertise of the MOT.