News

NATIONAL LEVEL

Aachen Treaty - First meeting of the Cross-Border Cooperation Committee

One year on from the signing of the Aachen Treaty, a Franco-German "Cross-Border Cooperation Committee" was officially established, in Hambach, on 22 January 2020, in the presence of the German Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Michael Roth, and the French Secretary of State in charge of European Affairs, Amélie de Montchalin. Its objective is "to overcome everyday border problems by means of concrete and reproducible solutions".

TERRITORIES

Editorial by Jean Rottner, President of the Grand Est Region

PUBLICATION

"Agenda-setting dynamics in the post-2020 cohesion policy reform: the pathway towards the European cross-border mechanism as possible policy change"

The article examines issues specific to the development of the European Cross-Border Mechanism (ECBM) proposed by the European Commission for the next programming period. It describes the manner in which the ECBM tool proposal arose through the action of an ensemble of "policy entrepreneurs". The article highlights the role of the MOT as a facilitator and a relay.

MOT

"Together, Let's Discuss the Added Value of EU Programmes For Our Border Territories"

The MOT and Euro-Institut are carrying out a capitalisation study on behalf of the Grand Est region, funded by the Europ’Act technical assistance programme. Within this framework, three seminars have been held: in Strasbourg on 4 December, in Metz on 3 February, and in Charleville-Mézières on 10 February.

MOT

Meetings of players involved in Franco-Italian cross-border cooperation: the Sud Region mobilises

In order to make a preliminary assessment of past Interreg programmes and to plan for the future, the Sud Region (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) organised, in partnership with the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Hautes-Alpes and Var Departments, a series of three meetings with ALCOTRA and MARITTIMO project developers.

FRANCE

Authority of Alsace and cross-border cooperation: what does the Act say?

The Act (No. 2019-816) of 2 August 2019 concerning the competences of the European Territorial Authority of Alsace (CEA) ratified the creation of this new territorial authority arising from the merger of the French Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin Departments on 1 January 2021.

EUROPE

A Council of Europe resolution on the distribution of taxes in cross-border areas

On 29 October, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution entitled “Fair distribution of taxes in transfrontier areas”. In the report presented by Karl-Heinz Lambertz, the Congress calls for greater cooperation between the countries concerned on this issue.

EUROPE

Assessing the territorial impact of cross-border cooperation

The ESPON programme has published its new report about Territorial Impact Assessment for Cross-Border Cooperation – TIA CBC.

NATIONAL LEVEL

Signature in Toulouse of a Franco-German declaration

The 21st Franco-German Council of Ministers took place in Toulouse on 16 October 2019, bringing together France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as well as the French and German ministers. On this occasion, and following on from the Aachen Treaty, the “Franco-German Declaration of Toulouse” was signed, which reaffirms the commitments made at the highest level of government with respect to Franco-German cooperation.

EUROPEAN WEEK OF REGIONS AND CITIES

Energy, citizenship, the ECBM, observation: major topics at the heart of the workshops attended by the MOT

At the 2019 edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities, which brought together over 9,000 participants in Brussels, the MOT ran a workshop entitled "No country is an island: joint cross-border strategies for a clean energy transition".

PUBLICATION

"A multidimensional measurement of the integration between European border regions"

Cross-border integration in Europe is a complex and multifaceted process that has contrasting impacts on border regions. In this article, the authors provide, with the aid of statistical indicators, an analysis of cross-border integration along the EU’s internal borders, highlighting the similarities and discrepancies that can be observed between different territories.

EUROPE

Towards coordination on obstacles at the European level?

With the support of the International Visegrad Fund, CESCI, the Hungarian equivalent of the MOT, and its partners along the borders between Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland have put forward proposals concerning the ECBM and the resolution of cross-border obstacles between these four countries. They suggest the creation of a European network of national contact points that could either be set up at national level or be pooled by several countries, as happens in the Nordic Council.

EUROPE

Annual meeting of EGTCs in Palma

The annual meeting of the EGTC Platform took place in Palma, Spain, on 27 September 2019, in partnership with the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion EGTC and the Government of the Balearic Islands. Jean Peyrony made a contribution in a roundtable devoted to the new ECBM tool, currently under discussion by the EU Council, which is aimed at facilitating the resolution of cross-border obstacles along Europe’s borders.

EUROPE

"Fair distribution of taxes in trans-frontier areas"

On 13 June 2019, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Vice-President of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, presented a report entitled "Fair distribution of taxes in trans-frontier areas". It will be submitted for adoption at the 37th Congress session in October.

EUROPE

The Commission has circulated orientation papers by border

In the context of the preparation of its 2021-2027 programmes, DG REGIO has drawn up 38 Border Orientation Papers (BOPs) for all of the EU’s land borders. Six of these BOPs relate to France’s borders.

EUROPEAN ELECTIONS

Let’s support the setting-up of an intergroup on cross-border issues at the European Parliament

Editorial by Anne Sander, MEP, Vice-President of the MOT.

FRANCE

European Territorial Authority of Alsace – towards a principle of differentiation

The French decree establishing the European Territorial Authority of Alsace through the merger of the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin Departments was published on 28 February. The new authority will come into being on 1 February 2021.

GERMANY

The IMeG’s position on the ECBM

The "Cross-Border Metropolitan Regions" Initiative, which works on developing cross-border cooperation along Germany’s borders, has just published a position paper on the European Commission’s proposal to create a "mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context".

EUROPE

Second call for "b-solutions" projects

The "b-solutions” initiative is one of the actions supported by DG REGIO within the framework of the Communication “Boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions” of September 2017. Its aim is to identify and promote sustainable methods for overcoming legal and/or administrative obstacles encountered along the internal land borders of the European Union.

MOT

A new edition of the MOT's Guides, on the energy transition

On the occasion of the European Conference on the Energy Transition, which is taking place in Dunkirk on 22-24 January 2019, the MOT is publishing a new edition of its thematic Guides, on the energy transition and cross-border cooperation.

EUROPE

Opinion of the Parliament and the CoR on the proposal for a regulation on the ECBM

In adopting its opinion on the proposal for a regulation on the ECBM on 22 November 2018, the European Parliament’s Regional Development Commission (REGI) embarked on the process of inter-institutional negotiations on the proposed tool.

EUROPE

Ninth meeting of the working group on innovative solutions to cross-border obstacles

On 18 December 2018 the ninth meeting of the working group on innovative solutions to cross-border obstacles was held in Brussels at the European Committee of the Regions.

TERRITORIES

Seminar on cross-border taxation

A seminar on the fair distribution of taxes and social security contributions in cross-border areas was held on 25 October in Geneva by the FEDRE Foundation and the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

NATIONAL LEVEL

State Visit between France and Belgium: advances for cross-border matters

On the occasion of the French president Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Belgium on 18 and 19 November, a declaration of intent on strengthening cooperation in matters of cross-border mobility and transport was signed by the two countries:

EUROPE

8th Meeting of the Working Group on innovative solutions to cross-border obstacles

The 8th meeting of the Working Group on innovative solutions to cross-border obstacles was held on 28 June 2018 at the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels.