On March 19th, 2024, the Government of the Republic and Canton of Jura and the European Collectivity of Alsace signed a new roadmap. The aim is to redefine the areas of cooperation between the two neighbours for the years 2024 and 2025.
Law 2016-41 of 26 January 2016 on the modernisation of France's healthcare system introduced a new "Regional Health Project" (PRS), maintained in principle, with three new components: a 10-year Strategic Orientation Framework (COS), a single 5-year Regional Health Scheme (SRS) and a Regional Programme on Access to Prevention and Care for the Most Deprived (PRAPS).
Extreme heat, prolonged droughts, unseasonable cold spells, storms and hurricanes... climate change knows no borders.
On March 12th, the MOT visited the sub-prefecture of Vervins, in the Aisne department, for a meeting on the cross-border issues facing the "Pact for the Sambre-Avesnois-Thiérache territory", attended by the SGAR, the Hauts-de-France region, the sub-prefectures of Avesnes-sur-Helpe and Vervins, the Aisne and Nord departments and the territory's EPCIs (public establishments of intercommunal cooperation).
On March 11th, the MOT held its quarterly meeting in Strasbourg, at the city hall. The meeting was attended by the The Strasbourg Eurometropolis, the European Territorial Authority of Alsace, the Grand Est Region and, for the first time, the Préfecture de Région.
On March 11th 2024 a meeting was held in Kehl, Germany, to launch the Franco-German working group responsible for developing and coordinating mechanisms to take account of the "border reality" in national legislative procedures.
The independent Group of High-Level Specialists on the Future of Cohesion Policy - set up in 2023 by Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira - presented its report on 20 February 2024.
MEPs of the Legal Affairs Committee approved draft rules aimed at removing barriers to the cross-border activities, funding and mobility of non-profit associations in the EU.
A "Southern Alps Cross-border Alliance" was launched on February 8th 2024 in Imperia in the presence of Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur and Deputy President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, and Claudio Scajola, Mayor of Imperia and President of the Province of Imperia.
The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and negotiators from the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on February 6, 2024, regarding the amendment of EU law governing the functioning of the Schengen area at both its external and internal borders.
As part of the partnership between the MOT and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, represented by its Department of Spatial Planning, the MOT led a Franco-German-Luxembourgian cross-border workshop on January 31st 2024 at the Maison de la Nature du Pays de Sierck (Moselle).
The Corsican Territorial Authority (Collectivité de Corse) and the Autonomous Region of Sardinia have launched a fundamental process of cooperation to ensure joint management of environmental issues in the Bucchi di Bunifaziu area.
Do you live near the franco-german border? Do you deal with public services on both sides of the border? Share your experience with us!
From the English Channel to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, cooperation in sea basins was at the heart of discussions at the conference on Regional Cooperation in Maritime Areas (ReCMA), organised in September by the University of Lille, the TVES laboratory and the MOT. To report on this work, the MOT is publishing a "Focus" on this theme at the heart of European integration.
A new initiative in the cross-border legal field, the "Justice without borders" pilot project acts as a Franco-German access point to law in Kehl.
The European research project "Governance mechanisms for cross-border functional areas" (CROSSGOV) aims to develop the knowledge base and prepare the ground for further research under the respective Thematic Action Plans (TAP), providing a common approach at European level. This will provide a departure point for activities to help policymakers at all relevant levels in harnessing the potential of functional approach in planning and governance.
To underline the needs of the border regions and their citizens, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) launched the European Cross-Border Platform, the successor of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Platform. The MOT is fully involved in this process, and sits on the Steering Committee alongside AEBR and CESCI.
MEPs have reiterated their readiness to start interinstitutional negotiations with the EU governments on new Commission proposal inspired by the Parliament´s resolution from September 2023 on new mechanism removing legal and administrative cross-border obstacles and fostering cooperation.They would like to reach an agreement on the proposal before the EU elections in June 2024.
On January 22nd, 2019, France and Germany signed the Franco-German cooperation and integration treaty of Aachen.
The European Committee of the Regions invites the European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation to submit their applications for the 2024 edition of the "Building Europe across borders" – Award for EGTCs.
Mobility, public services, health, housing... how can we respond to the cross-border phenomenon between France and Luxembourg? The mayor of Thionville, chairman of the Pôle métropolitain frontalier (PMF), explains what solidarity measures need to be put in place in his area, where 70% of the 120,000 French cross-border workers in Luxembourg are concentrated. READ MORE
On January 25th, 2024, the European Commission announced that it had granted €594 million to eight cross-border energy infrastructure projects. Of these, three are in France, and two are on the Franco-Belgian border.
Nine territorial meetings were organised by the MOT, with the invaluable help of its partners, between October 2023 and January 2024: Ardennes-Meuse, Jura Arc, Grande Région, France-Italy-Monaco, Rhin supérieur, Hauts-de-France, Pyrénées Occidentales, Pyrénées Centre-Est, Greater Geneva.
