News
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MOT
The MOT’s contribution at the conference "Spatial planning in the Franco-Swiss Jura Arc"
February 2020On 23 January 2020, the MOT took part in the conference "Spatial planning in the Franco-Swiss Jura Arc", held in La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH) within the framework of the Interreg V – ARC-AD programme. As well as being an opportunity to share views on spatial planning issues in the cross-border territory, the purpose of the conference was to present the ARC-AD tool, a decision-making tool designed to facilitate the coordination of territorial planning across the Jura Arc.
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MOT
Cross-border strategies being drawn up in cross-border urban areas
January 2020The MAPTAM Act* enables border metropolises to draw up a Cross-Border Cooperation Strategy. Lille, Strasbourg and Nice have taken up this opportunity and have been working since 2018, with support from the MOT, on formulating a strategy to structure their cross-border policy. Other territories have followed suit such as the Basque Country Conurbation Community.
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FRANCE
Authority of Alsace and cross-border cooperation: what does the Act say?
November 2019The 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.
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TERRITORIES
A 2030 strategy for the Upper Rhine Trinational Metropolitan Region
November 2019The 2030 strategy for the Upper Rhine Trinational Metropolitan Region was signed in Basel on 22 November. “We want to be a model region for Europe and to make visible and tangible the benefits that Europe provides day by day. To do this, we will continue to develop excellence in the economic and scientific field, to strengthen structures of cross-border cooperation and to develop new potential,” the political representatives affirmed on this occasion.
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FRANCE
Meeting of the National Mountain Council on cross-border issues
November 2019The National Mountain Council is a consultative body, established by the Montagne Act, that has a proposal-making role with respect to setting goals for the development, spatial planning and protection of mountain ranges. It is made up of parliamentarians and representatives from the regions and departments of the six mountain ranges in metropolitan France (the Alps, Corsica, the Jura, the Massif Central, the Pyrenees and the Vosges) and the three overseas mountain ranges, social professionals and representatives from the voluntary sector. The General Commission for Territorial Equality provides its general secretariat.
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TERRITORIES
France-United Kingdom: for strengthened cooperation between local authorities
November 2019The successful bids for the call for projects “France-United Kingdom: for a strengthened cooperation between our local authorities” launched by the British Embassy in France, with the support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have been announced.
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PUBLICATION
Territorial diplomacy and cross-border cooperation: the case of France’s border
November 2019"The study of developments since the 1980s raises questions about the role and place of territorial authorities in an international system involving diverse players, and prompts a rethinking, by means of infra-State players, of the historical roles of diplomacy: representing and negotiating." The article ["Diplomatie territoriale et coopération transfrontalière : Le cas des frontières françaises"] analyses this diplomacy in the cross-border context along France’s borders."
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TERRITORIES
The Nord Department celebrates 30 years of cross-border cooperation
November 2019On Monday, 21 October 2019 at the Stablinski Velodrome in Roubaix, the Nord Department, West Flanders Province and Hainaut Province celebrated 30 years of cross-border cooperation.
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ETATS
Signature in Toulouse of a Franco-German declaration
October 2019The 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.
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PUBLICATION
"A multidimensional measurement of the integration between European border regions"
October 2019Cross-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.
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EUROPE
Towards coordination on obstacles at the European level?
OctoberWith 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.
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MOT
Workshops in Bayonne and San Sebastian for the Basque Country Cross-Border Cooperation Plan
October 2019As part of the process of drawing up its Cross-Border Cooperation Plan, the Basque Country Community (CAPB) ran "cross-border cooperation workshops", in Bayonne on 20 September and in San Sebastian on 25 September, with support from the MOT and the Atlantic and Pyrenees Urban Planning Agency (AUDAP).
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EUROPE
Switzerland's border regions write to the Commission
September 2019On 2 September, the leaders of nine Swiss border regions sent a letter to the President of the European Commission in which they expressed their concerns about the state of the relationship between the European Union and Switzerland. They fear that a rejection in a referendum of the framework agreement would undermine the basis of the bilateral treaties – with adverse economic consequences for the border regions.
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FRANCE
The National Territorial Cohesion Agency is taking shape
July 2019The bill providing for the creation of the National Territorial Cohesion Agency in France was adopted on 9 July in its final reading in the Assemblée Nationale. The Agency will be operational from 1 January 2020.
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EUROPE
The Commission has circulated orientation papers by border
July 2019In 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.
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TERRITORIES
The Ardennes Department – a European and cross-border location
July 2019 -
TERRITORIES
A cross-border strategy for the Franco-Belgian Ardennes
July 2019In May 2019, Ardenne Métropole and the Belgian association of municipalities Idelux embarked on the drawing-up of a “Strategic plan for the development of the cross-border territory of the Franco-Belgian Ardennes”.
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MOT
Network of Cross-Border Cooperation Strategies
June 2019With the support of the MOT, Lille, Strasbourg and Nice are the three French border region metropolises that have embarked on drawing up a "Schéma de cooperation transfrontalière" (Cross-Border Cooperation Strategie, CCS), introduced by the Maptam Act* in 2014. Through its network, the MOT enables the three metropolises to share experiences and information regarding their methodologies, the obstacles encountered and the local political contexts, as well as to relay their needs to the national and European authorities.
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PUBLICATION
Transdisciplinary Discourses on Cross-Border Cooperation in Europe
June 2019A range of researchers and practitioners combine their observations in order to elaborate a common analytical framework for cross-border cooperation in Europe, by offering a transdisciplinary scientific approach. Jean Peyrony, the MOT’s Director-General, contributed to the publication by writing the chapter entitled “Planning across borders - space, time and narratives”.
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TERRITORIES
The Moselle wishes to become a "Eurodepartment"
June 2019On 9 May 2019, Europe Day, the Moselle Department asked for an expansion of its competences on account of its specific location within the territory of the Greater Region, in order to foster closer links, greater effectiveness and simplified partnerships with its European neighbours.
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TERRITORIES
Agreement between the Lille European Metropolis and the Brussels Region
June 2019On 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.
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TERRITORIES
The "High Valleys - Heart of the Alps" Integrated Territorial Plan
May 2019The 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.
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TERRITORIES
A Territorial Development Plan for the Greater Region
May 2019Within the framework of the Interreg “Greater Region Territorial Development Plan” project, the Greater Region Executives Summit have laid the political groundwork for the drawing-up of a common cross-border territorial strategy for the Greater Region partners.
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PUBLICATION
"L'Europe par les territoires", a publication by the FNAU – focus on the cross-border dimension
May 2019The latest publication by the French Network of Urban Planning Agencies (FNAU), entitled "L'Europe par les territoires" (“Europe by its territories”) feeds into the debate about Europe and provides different views on the issues relating to cohesion policy and the way in which cities and territories have appropriated the European ideal and the tools of this policy. The MOT contributed to it and several cross-border territories are showcased in it.