The "PITER ALPIMED" is a cross-border cooperation strategy funded under the Interreg Alcotra program that ran between 2018 and 2022 in the mountain area between the provinces of Cuneo, Imperia and the Alpes-Maritimes department.
Promoting the history of the salt roads has been a theme of interest to many local players and elected representatives in the cross-border area for many years.
A meeting between Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice and president of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolitan Area, and Claudio Scajola, mayor of Imperia and president of the Province of Imperia, on the 19th of May in Nice, provided an opportunity to present a cross-border coastal development programme between the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolitan Area and the Province of Imperia, and another programme focusing on the mountains between the Vésubie and Tinée valleys and the neighbouring valleys of the Provinces of Imperia and Cuneo.
On March 24th, 2023, the Franco-German citizen portal "FRED.info" was put online. Developed in the framework of a partnership between the Land of Baden-Württemberg and the Grand Est Region, the tool is managed by the Franco-German Institute (DFI).
The MOT provides tailored support to several territories to facilitate the emergence of projects and links with national and European partners as part of the "Small Towns of Tomorrow" programme of the Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires (the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion).
Close to the Franco-German and Franco-Luxembourg borders, Bouzonville and Sierck-les-Bains are drawing up their cross-border goals with the help of the MOT.
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.
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.
At the request of the French Federation of Alpine and Mountaineering Clubs, the MOT assisted – between April 2019 and November 2020 – the partners in the Interreg project "ENTREPYR II" in the choice and implementation of a cross-border legal structure to ensure the long-term future of cross-border cooperation regarding mountain shelters in the Pyrenees.
Since 19 October 2020, a single European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) has brought together Aragon, the Province of Huesca and the Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments.
Mountain areas represent over 40% of France’s borders. Among France’s mountain ranges, three of them are located in border regions: the Jura, the Pyrenees and the Alps. This new brochure sets out their common cross-border issues and challenges, while also highlighting concrete cross-border projects.
On 2 May 2019, the Lille European Metropolis and the Brussels-Capital Region signed a cooperation agreement in order to reinforce exchanges between the two metropolises, on topics such as accessibility, spatial planning, attractiveness, tourism and culture.
The cross-border territory of the “High Valleys” is located in the heart of the Alps, between Savoie, Piedmont and the High Alps. It consists of 13 groups of municipalities, 147 rural mountain districts and 270,753 inhabitants spread over 6,350 km2. A cross-border strategy "The High Valleys – Smart Destination" was drawn up in order to group together the common development priorities for the coming years.
Under the Interreg programme ALCOTRA on the Franco-Italian border, two types of plan can be implemented: integrated territorial plans and integrated thematic plans. Integrated territorial plans are made up of a series of projects organised around several themes for a specific cross-border territory.
On 24 August 2018, representatives of France, Andorra and Spain approved the creation of a new cross-border park: the “Three Nations Pyrenees Park”. This new park results from the merger of four already existing parks: the Alt Pirineu Nature Park in Catalonia, the Ariège Pyrenees Regional Nature Park and the Sorteny Valley and Comapedrosa Valley Nature Parks in Andorra.
The city of Nice and the Nice-Côte d'Azur Metropolis are engaged in many cooperation projects within the framework of the ALCOTRA and MARITTIMO European programmes, in very varied areas such as: territorial development, strengthening links between urban and rural territories, innovation and support for businesses, sustainable development and combating climate change, healthcare and social inclusion, youth, culture and strengthening digital networks.
The Alzette Belval EGTC has just launched an interactive mapping system to provide fair access to leisure equipment and services across the cross-border territory. It became apparent that such an initiative was necessary to encourage its inhabitants to take part in activities on either side of the border.
The Pyrenees Haute-Garonne Community of Municipalities and the Aran Conselh Generau held a ceremony on 20 April in Fos to commemorate the 505th anniversary of the signing of the " Lies et Patseries" Treaty.
More than 100 people – elected representatives, technicians and civil society players – took part in the event on 22 March to launch the Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai Eurometropolis's "Parc Bleu".
A new European Grouping of Cross-Border Cooperation (EGTC) was set up on 13 March 2018. Called "Pirineos-Pyrénées" ("Pyrenees" in Spanish and French), it groups together the main territorial authorities of the centre of the Pyrenees mountain range: the Diputación de Huesca, the Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments and the Government of Aragon.
During his visit to French Guiana in October, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, stressed the importance of France's outermost regions.
The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs has launched a call for projects promoting decentralised cooperation, within which cross-border cooperation has been identified as a priority area.
Every year, the MOT publishes a dossier highlighting exemplary cross-border projects along French borders.
