This project, commissioned by DG REGIO with the support of Eurostat, runs from 2024 to 2026. Its aim is to improve the collection and understanding of data on border workers in the European Union.
On the 15th and 16th of May in Ispra, Italy, the MOT took part in the workshop "Measurement of Flows Across the Internal Borders of the EU" organised by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Le Schéma national des véloroutes, avec ses 610 km de réalisés en 2024, s'inscrit dans une dynamique européenne avec l'intégration du réseau EuroVelo.
March marked an important milestone for the Alcotraité project on cross-border obstacles between France and Italy. The three territorial workshops organised by the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT) and the partner regions in collaboration with the six ALCOTRA PITER+* enabled the project to get to the heart of the matter by mobilising more than 150 participants from the northern to the southern ends of the French-Italian land border.
Find the description of each pilot action in our thumbnails!
On March 20th; 2025 in Pamplona, representatives of the AFOMEF presented the six cross-border projects selected to receive €14.8 million in ERDF funding.
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.
Following publication of the final report and blueprints for each pilot site in the ‘Building more resilient cross-border regions’ project run by the OECD and DG REGIO, the Nord Lorrain Metropolitan Border Pole gives us its views on the work carried out, its contributions and the specific needs of the territory which is one of the pilot sites.
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.
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.
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.
In 2021, border workers travel an average of 34 km to get to work, compared with 14 km for non-border workers living in the same areas. The majority go by car. 18% of them have journeys of 50 km or more, and there are significantly more of these long journeys than in 2010.
A study on the ‘border effect’ around Switzerland, conducted by the Geneva-based FEDRE (Foundation for the Economy and Sustainable Development of the Regions of Europe), sets out ten very concrete proposals in areas such as taxation, culture, health and mobility.
On October 21st, 2024, the elected representatives of the European Territorial Authority of Alsace (CEA) voted unanimously to introduce a heavy goods vehicle tax for transit traffic.
Represented by its vice-president Brigitte Torloting, vice-president of the Grand Est region, the MOT took part in the GART-UTPF conference ‘Which public transport model to facilitate cross-border mobility?’, at the ‘Eu Mobility Expo’ held this year in Strasbourg. This was an opportunity for the MOT to present its position, taken with Objectif RER Métropolitains, on the cross-border dimension of SERM projects.
On Monday September 16th, Germany reintroduced border controls for six months to combat illegal immigration, drawing criticism from within the European Union (EU) for failing to consult with other EU countries. After the border controls already in place with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland, Germany has now reintroduced border controls with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
On August 27th, 2024, Franck Leroy, President of the Grand Est Region, and Winfried Hermann, Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Transport, unveiled the first France-Germany Régiolis cross-border train (TFA).
"At a time of ecological and financial crisis, territories must support the development of ambitious public policies to decarbonize mobility, despite insufficient financial capacity to meet demand that is complex and costly to satisfy. How, then, can supply and demand for mobility be reconciled?"
A new feature of the Interreg POCTEFA 2021-2027 program, the Functional Areas allow us to work on smaller perimeters.
Discover our project sheets published to coincide with the MOT General Assembly in Dunkirk on June 27th and 28th!
On April 10th, 2024, the MOT working group on ecological transition held its 6th meeting, organized in partnership with "Objectif RER Métropolitains". It was an opportunity to put exchange with seven speakers who shared their experiences and expertise, and to generate strong interest with over 70 participants.
At the initiative of the Belgian Presidency, a "Brussels Declaration" was adopted by European transport ministers to outline the future of European mobility.
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.
